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My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
  • Release Date: Dec 11, 2009
User Score
5.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 4 out of 8

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  1. jonp.
    Jan 17, 2010
    2
    This movie is shockingly bad. The story line is a mess, and what little story one gets is supremely uninteresting. The main character is a guy in his 30s who acts like a marginally functional 12-year-old. His "obviously crazy" pronouncements and behavior are very dull and they are usually portrayed through flash backs. Flash back is anachronistic and annoying to begin with, especially when it is used to flesh out a character as one-dimensional and uninteresting as "Brad." The women around Brad do nothing but humor his weird behavior, which has the unfortunate result of dragging the movie out in a most frustrating way. Chloe Sevigny, who plays Brad's love interest, just floats along with his ravings in a somnolent, unconvincing performance (we're supposed to believe that this attractive young woman has no better option than to stick around and watch Brad's disintegration). Grace Zabriskie, an actress who has made a career out of playing lunatic women, tags along as a very David Lynchesque mother figure (which is no accident since David Lynch is the movie's executive producer). I saw this movie based on the fact that Werner Herzog directed it, despite serious reservations about the presence of the now very overexposed Willem Dafoe. "My Son, My Son..." reminded me that Herzog, while brilliant, is also very uneven. He has produced great stuff and really terrible stuff. Unfortunately, this movie belongs in the latter category. Do not be misled by generally positive reviews -- avoid this movie like the plague!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. cabrita
    Jan 28, 2012
    3
    A film overflowing with ambition but Herzog's crazy back storys about nothing quickly loose their novelty and the close to 2 hour running time becomes a drag. I still look forward to a Herzog film however. Over ambition is not always a good thing and My son my son what have ye done is a perfect example.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Deborah Young
    50
    The story is riddled with salutes to executive producer David Lynch and the film seems pointed hopefully in the direction of Lynch's audiences.
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  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    Everything about this berserk, essentially static procedural is just crazy enough to be true. In any case, Herzog has gone beyond Good and Evil to reinvent himself as a candidate for the wiggiest director of comedy in America today.
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  3. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Keith Uhlich
    100
    It's likely that only Herzog would dare to, and succeed at, resolving this singular cinematic object by contemplating the fate of an abandoned basketball.
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