FIRSTBORN. Directed by Michael Apted; written by Ron Koslow; produced by Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas for Paramount. Starring Teri Garr, Christopher Collet and Peter Weller. Rated PG-13 (language, violence).
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The first time I saw Teri Garr was on "Star Trek," of all things. She played a dingy secretary. And she's been a flighty secretary (or actress, or housewife) ever since. I've always enjoyed her characters, but wondered what she'd be like in a more serious part. Firstborn finally gives me—and her—that chance. And she does a pretty good job in this somewhat uneven look at domestic turbulence from the firstborn's point of view.
However, Garr's persona here (Wendy) does begin with her usual emotional vulnerability. The whole plot stems from her poor judgement in men. But the comic tone usually set by her character is absent here. Wendy is two years divorced, with teenage and pre-teen sons. Her relationship with the boys is good. but she doesn't like being single.
Enter Sam (Weller). He's charming and affectionate. But the boys have his number early: he's a loser. Even they, however, can't foresee just how bad he will be for their family.
Jake, the teenager (Collet) is the center of the action, as the movie's title indicates. Collet creates a realistic and very likeable youngster. He knows how to have a good time. But he's smart enough to realize his mom's having too much of one.
Weller is creepy and sinister as Sam. You can tell from his first scene that he'll come to no good end. He's much better as a villian than as a laid-back swashbuckler (as in Buckaroo Banzai).
Garr's crucial job in Firstborn is to make plausible her increasing involvement with a slob like Sam. It's a tough order, but Garr does reasonably well. The script gives their relationship a basic problem, though, by putting all the blame on Sam. If Wendy is unstable enough to hang onto to such a loser for so long, she was headed for trouble anyway. It must be impossible to tell a story from a teenager's point of view without all the adults seeming ineffectual, stupid or evil. At least, Firstborn doesn't try it.
In spite of a few problems with characterizations, Firstborn is an interesting movie, if not great cinema. It starts out looking like a sitcom, and ends up an exciting thriller. And Collet is impressive in his first major role. Some viewers, however, might be upset by the violence, since it is occasionally directed at children.
November 7, 1984