Jack Goes Home

Jack (Rory Culkin) seems cold to the news of his father being decapitated in a car crash. His pregnant girlfriend Cleo (Britt Robertson) is away visiting her parents. His lesbian friend Shanda (Daveigh Chase) finds him disturbingly sleepwalking. He goes home to care for his mother (Lin Shaye) and uncovers hidden family secrets. Shanda joins him.

Thomas Dekker is an actor trying to branch out into filmmaking. There is some good creepiness mostly due to Culkin's disturbing acting. This is a psychological horror which is outside the norm. Dekker's work is professional but lacks an excitement. There are moments of tension but it never maintains its intensity. It all adds up to an uneven attempt with some interesting aspects.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm glad I watched this. A guy (Rory Culkin) receives a phone call to say his parents have been involved in a car crash and the film then follows his psychological reaction to the event. I don't usually enjoy slow, emotional dramas, but this had enough bite to it to keep my interest throughout. His lesbian best friend from childhood lends him support and a gay, nineteen year old, male neighbour befriends him, but throughout the film you're left to wonder what is really happening, and if any of it actually is happening. There are enough horror and mystery elements combined here that makes this film quite watchable, but sometimes more than a little uncomfortable. Great acting, great characters and a very well put together production that draws you in and just doesn't let you go until it's over.

There is a list published of the events that cause the most stress and trauma in the human experience. The #1 "event" listed is death of a spouse. Surprisingly, losing a parent is not that high up on the list,although many of us would beg to differ. There are many events not included in the list. Culkin is phenomenal as the snotty hipster turned severely emotionally damaged as he delves into secrets long left behind in his old childhood home that he revisits. I mean, he really was incredible. The mother play equally well, as the Mother From Hell (my words) who has occasional slips of the tongue where you think she may actually be normal. She is not. No one in this movie is normal - no one. Everyone is broken in some way. This movie is incredibly dark - it really was too dark for me, but I can't fault it for that - it did keep my interest and the acting was superb. It did leave me feeling unsettled - I won't soon forget this movie. But I wish I could. Make of that what you will. I do question the retention of memories of trauma, but I am not a mental health professional. However, I obliged for purposes of watching this movie. Oh - and yes, it is a creepy movie. There are fine lines between what a tormented mind can come up with, what really happened and what is happening in the world beyond us. I found this movie had elements of Sybil, Flowers in the Attic and The Changling (the old one with George C. Scott, not the Jolie one which is a different movie of the same name).

I'm not sure what the story was going for. Was it a psychological thriller? A horror movie? very strange. i like Rory Culkin, and he and Lin Shaye - who i adore - did the best they could with what they had. My recommendation is to see it for yourself, but if you don't, it would be no great loss.

The downward spiral into madness Jack Goes Home tries to imbue falls short. What's left is a disjointed film wondering what it wants to be.

While I do agree we get to see a different side of Lin Shaye from what we see in the Insidious chapters, I felt her performance to be over the top and wrought with cliché moments à la Mommie Dearest.

Rory Culkin gets everything thrown at him including the kitchen sink, yet never deviates from the mouth agape, detached look expression he sports throughout the film. His acting skills are far superior to what we see play out during the movie.

Natasha Lyonne makes a cameo appearance at a receptionist desk. It makes you wonder if she said her four lines as a favor to Dekker. Fortunately for Lyonne, she can make a desk look good. It's unfortunate for us that we only get a glimpse of her.

On a positive note, there were a few creepy scenes any horror fan would enjoy. And it was also a beautifully shot film. There was enough glimmer of hope buried within Jack Goes Home to make me interested in Thomas Dekker's next move as a director and film writer.