Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Trivia / TheGoodSon

Go To

1* BannedInChina: This movie was banned in the UK [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents due to the February 1993 murder of James Bulger]]. When it did end up being released in the UK, the sequence where Henry causes a traffic accident by throwing a dummy from a bridge was cut due to concerns about dangerous, imitable behavior, though said sequence would be restored in later editions, especially when it became available on Creator/StarDisneyPlus.
2* CompletelyDifferentTitle: South America decided to throw the subtlety out the window, and named the movie ''[[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon The Evil Angel]]'' instead.
3* CreatorKiller:
4** While it was a box office success, it was also one of the most critically despised movies of the 1990's, and the critical thrashing led Joseph Ruben's producing career to wind up on the rocks in addition to denting his directing reputation; he was not credited as a producer again until 2014.
5** The critical failure of this film killed off Ian [=McEwan=]'s screenwriting career. It would be another 13 years before one of his screenplays would be filmed.
6* DuelingMovies: With ''Film/{{Mikey}}'', another movie about a blonde EnfantTerrible portrayed by a child actor in a mature, non-[[{{Typecasting}} typecast]] role. While neither film was particularly well-received, ''The Good Son'' ended up having a lasting impact on audiences thanks to having Creator/MacaulayCulkin playing the main antagonist, Henry Evans.
7* ExecutiveMeddling: Culkin's casting was entirely the result of this, but a lot more meddling happened behind the scenes.
8* FriendshipOnTheSet: Creator/MacaulayCulkin and Creator/ElijahWood became close friends during production, and remain so to this day.
9* NoStuntDouble: When Henry [[spoiler:gets dropped by his mother]], a shot of Creator/MacaulayCulkin himself and not a stunt double falling away from the camera on the actual cliff was required. After discussions with Culkin and his parents, he agreed to do a 30-foot fall on a cable on the actual cliff, 180 feet above Lake Superior, but he wanted one thing in return for this act of bravery: a BB gun. Culkin performed the cable fall perfectly and was given his BB gun.
10* TheOtherMarty:
11** Michael Klesic was the original choice to play Henry. Unfortunately, production stalled when the budget ran out, and when Fox finally started to get the film off the ground, Klesic was deemed too old for the part and it was passed on to Jesse Bradford. Sets for filming had already been built by the time Macaulay Culkin's father and manager, Kit Culkin, made Fox screw Bradford out of his role in favor of Macaulay.
12** Creator/MarySteenburgen was the original choice to play Susan, but when filming was pushed back a year due to Culkin's casting, Steenburgen moved on and was replaced by Creator/WendyCrewson.
13* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/MacaulayCulkin, ''big time''. At this point, he was mostly known for playing kids who were rambunctious and mischievous at worst; in this movie, his character is a chilling portrait of a child sociopath.
14* RealLifeRelative: Connie is played by Macaulay's sister Quinn Culkin, while the photograph of baby Richard is actually a photo of his brother [[Creator/RoryCulkin Rory]].
15* StarDerailingRole: This was the [[Film/GettingEvenWithDad first]] of [[Film/ThePagemaster five]] [[Film/RichieRich movies]] through 1993 and 1994 that resulted in Creator/MacaulayCulkin dropping out of Hollywood.
16* TroubledProduction:
17** After impressing Fox executives with his recently published novel ''The Child in Time'', Ian [=McEwan=] presented an original script, which combined the thriller and children genres. Despite initial trepidation, the financial success of ''Film/HomeAlone'' and ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' convinced Fox to accept [=McEwan=]'s script.
18** During the early stages of production, Michael Lehmann replaced original director Brian Gilbert after funding ran out. When Fox was negotiating Creator/MacaulayCulkin's contract for ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'', his [[StageMom manager and father]] Kit convinced the studio to have Culkin star in ''The Good Son'' for his participation in ''Home Alone 2''. Lehmann and co-producer Lawrence Mark bailed the film in protest, and both were replaced by Joseph Ruben.
19** Disagreements between [=McEwan=] and Ruben over the creative direction led to the former being fired and replaced by Ruben's collaborator David Loughery. When [=McEwan=] threatened to sue the studio if he was forced to share writing credit with Loughery, Fox agreed to give [=McEwan=] sole writing credit for the film, even though it was Loughery's screenplay that was used in the final film.
20** Though ''The Good Son'' made back its budget upon its release in late 1993, critical reception was negative. Between that and the out-of-control production, Joseph Rubin's directing career was damaged in the aftermath, as was Ian [=McEwan=]'s writing career. Macaulay Culkin retired from acting not long after the film's release. Meanwhile, Elijah Wood bounced back from the disappointing response.

Top