Customer Reviews

First Born [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Peter Weller was superb as the low-life riff-raff boyfriend in this film, from the first hung-over moment he appears on the screen to his nonchalant comment, after the kids later catch him and the mom with cocaine, "Life goes on." Living in apartment complexes during the first half of the 1980s, I saw this same guy again and again, preying temporarily on single women, leeching off them for awhile, leaving their lives in varying degrees of shambles and abruptly moving on. Weller was so good in this movie role, you could almost smell it on him.

I would recommend this movie to Peter Weller and Terri Garr fans alike. Corey Haim gives a good performance as well, but it is far from the flippant teen idol roles he's favored for later. 'Firstborn' is a realistic look into many lives disrupted by divorce and adolescence. While it won't fit everyone's experience of these, it doesn't gloss over the issues. It's about a woman who is searching for emotional healing after her husband announces he is remarrying, two sons who are trying to deal with what they knew as 'family' dissintigrating, and a loner, small time drug dealer. But each character has one thing in common. Each person is trying to fit into life, and find where his or her life fits in with the rest of the world. You have a lonely, hurt divorcee, a boy who is almost a man, who has to be the man in the family suddenly, and a young boy who is confused by his father's abandonement, and his mother's sadness. Then comes the drifter who promises stability and affection to the family. Only problem is, the oldest boy (who feels the urge to protect his family) figures out real fast that the man offering the missing piece to the incomplete family is not what he seems. The mother, desperate for love and companionship is reluctant to see the man for what he is, bringing violence and drug use/selling into the house. Hollywood often portrays drugs as great entertainment, and the traffic of it profitable and empowering. 'Firstborn' shows the other side. It doesn't always make fast money and good friends. The boys also react in a very realistic way. They are at the age when self-examination and rebellion become a part of school, social life, and family. Further disruption and danger amplify the behavior, and is realistically exaggerated by threat, abuse and lies.

The movie shows WHY most kids act that way. In powerless situations all you have is attitude, you can't chose where you live yet and your life is affected by your parents decisions but you have no influence . I think the movie artfully tells the story how the boys' lives gradually become unstable. They stop bringing their friends home because they can't predict what they'll find and soon they don't come home. And that doesn't really matter because mom isn't home or cooking dinner,for example. The house isn't clean and the mom who avoided coffee ,smokes and does all kinds of "stuff". The movie also shows that "limbo" most teens find themselves in, not kids- not adults and depending on the situation what role they'll be called to play. In school they have to sit down and shut up but at home ,in this movie,the older brother is having to be a parent to his brother and sometimes his mother. These are the growing up years not necessarily the golden years.

I was a teenager at the time of this movie's release. I can relate in alot of ways with this movie and expereinced similar issues as Collet and Haim did during the film. Not so much the deadbeat boyfriend part, but the fact that the kids take a back seat when the divorcee parent finds a new partner. The saying "when a couple gets a divorce and the children are the one's that suffer" - this statement is more than accurate. My mother's boyfriend was a decent guy and he wasn't really the problem, it was the fact that my brother and I at such young ages were kind of left behind, no more guidance or caring of what we did. Our mother's attention was all towards her new life and her new partner. Sure we still had a roof over our head and we were greatful. But as young teenagers still naive and confused about life, we needed alot more attention, caring and guidance, which was no longer there. So this movie portrays exactly what happens when parents do not work their problems out for their children. Most of the time parents get divorces fore selfish reasons, like they want more out of their own life. But if you have any true love for your children you should work it out or prioritize their needs. At least until they are grown enough to fend for themselves out in the world. This is one of my very favorite movies from the 80's, a must have. Also, whats takin so long for the DVD!!

I grew up with this movie. I grew up with a lot of "80's movies", but this one hit hard. It really shows the blindness that can happen when a single mother falls in love with the wrong guy. And how her hopes of saving her failing marriage collapse, which she then falls even harder into "bad stuff". It is a realistic movie. One that I am proud to say is part of my move collection.

Used to watch this movie a lot when I was younger and recently discovered it in my "video vault". It had been a long time. The movie itself, however, still seems very competitive with todays drama/action type movies.

Peter Weller and Christopher Collet do an awesome job especially when Collet has to step up and battle against the drifter (Weller). Corey Haim adds a view from most kids his age who have to endure this type of household living.

A very young Sarah Jessica Parker also makes her appearance as Collet's girlfriend in the film. And of course Teri Garr, once again playing a mom in this film, but who nosedives and then realizes that her kids ARE in fact more important! Good video, worth any price!

An interesting movie and one of my "closet favorites" that stands up over the years. Peter Weller (later starred as RoboCop)presents a very unique portrait of a loner/loser who desperately wants to be accepted as a strong father figure by the sons of his new single-mom girlfriend(Teri Garr). He says all the things that you would expect a sincere family head to say ("we're going to be a close happy family"), even though his efforts are laughable due to their prematurity. The oldest son is not buying any of it, and an overt hostility develops between the two. Teri Garr, in one of her better serious roles, plays a mother who is torn between her need for a personal life and her love for her sons. The younger, 13 year old son (Corey Haim)has problems with fighting in school, and his older brother becomes his father figure as Garr and Weller become more deeply involved in drug usage, causing Garr to become an ineffective mother. A teen-aged Sarah Jessica Parker makes an appearance as the older boy's girlfriend who tries to break through his somber moods which result from Weller's heavy-handed and irresponsible attempts to father the boys. The ending is somewhat predictable, but never-the-less satisfying as justice finally prevails. Weller's character carries this story for me, from start to finish.

Enough said. Classic 80's feel you had to be there.
pre cell phone, internet world.
Peter Weller was born to play this. A true thespian.
R.i.p. Corey Haim.

a great movie bout growing up quick in a divore household.
i could remember seeing this movie and recognizing things being filmed in new jersey i saw plenty of famiilier places
this really was a great movie about the struggle of a split family and trying to balance home and school life and taking charge in a crisis
i would like to see this movie on dvd one day
this movie had a great cast and was truly well made

This movie is one of my favorites of all time!! Great story and plot, makes this a suspense-drama for any fan of the movie!! I'm tired of the VHS version that I own... It's time for a DVD release!!!!! Please release it on DVD!!!!