The Son

Directed by Florian Zeller, The Son follows Hugh Jackman’s Peter Miller as he attempts to help his teenage son (Zen McGrath’s Nicholas) snap out of his depressive funk. Filmmaker Zeller, armed with his and Christopher Hampton’s screenplay, delivers a slow-moving drama that’s rarely, if ever, able to pack the emotional punch one might’ve anticipated, although, by that same token, it’s apparent that the movie, buoyed by several top-notch performances, remains basically watchable for the duration of its running time – with, in particular, Jackman’s commanding, captivating turn generally smoothing over the narrative’s lulls and elevating the proceedings on a recurring basis. (McGrath, on the other hand, offers up perpetually (and increasingly) grating work that compounds the picture’s far-from-spellbinding atmosphere and dulls the impact of a dramatic third-act plot development.) There’s little doubt, too, that the inclusion of a few admittedly engrossing sequences, especially a terrific mid-movie encounter between Peter and his astonishingly cold father (Anthony Hopkins’ Anthony), enhances the film’s decent-enough vibe, which does, in the final analysis, confirm The Son‘s place as a passable yet hopelessly erratic endeavor that could’ve used some serious streamlining.

**1/2 out of ****