The Son
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: November 25, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 46 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
18
Negative:
14
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 18, 2023
Given that director and co-writer Florian Zeller’s “The Father” was a powerful and nuanced and creatively presented original work with Anthony Hopkins winning an Oscar for his moving portrayal of a man with advancing dementia, it’s truly shocking how Zeller’s “The Son” is such a tone-deaf, emotionally manipulative, leaden stumble into the abyss. Read full review
35
ABC NewsPeter TraversJan 20, 2023
Hugh Jackman acts his heart out as a parent unable to cope with his clinically depressed son, but even he can’t save this poor relation to The Father from descending into two hours of misery porn. Read full review
30
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorJan 19, 2023
The Son is a film that is very cruel to its characters, and by extension to its long-suffering audience. Read full review
30
Paste MagazineRory DohertyNov 28, 2022
Zeller is clearly more experienced as a writer than a director, but even his ability to extract the powerful (if stagey) performances we saw in The Father is missing here, as everyone just insists their lines upon each other with tones borrowed from shouty amateur theater. Read full review
30
The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanNov 23, 2022
Despite its contemporary New York City setting, The Son seems to have appropriated a midcentury understanding of mental illness, and the emotion on display feels even more artificial than the rooftop vista erected outside the windows of Peter’s industrial-chic Manhattan loft. Read full review
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Alison WillmoreNov 18, 2022
The ending may be heavily foreshadowed, but that doesn’t make the lead-up any less exasperating or what happens any less egregious. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 19, 2023
The Son is so concerned with trying to get an emotional rise out of the audience, to choke us with its pathos, that it fails to create believable three-dimensional characters. Read full review
25
Washington PostAnn HornadayJan 18, 2023
Mawkish, obvious and manipulative, “The Son” is, quite simply, a disappointment, from its pat setup to its equally false — and, quite frankly, cruel — resolution. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubPhil PirrelloNov 30, 2022
Despite the shallow handling of truly important and nuanced subject matter, Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and a scene-stealing Vanessa Kirby go deep with their performances in ways that almost make The Son’s manipulative and predictable story worth sitting through—almost. Read full review
25
RogerEbert.comNell MinowNov 28, 2022
Most of the power of these moments comes from our strong feelings about the issues, not from what we see, as the screenplay is superficial and manipulative. Read full review
25
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiSep 13, 2022
Zeller’s latest mental health movie is an exhaustingly tedious experience in which you check your watch several times a minute while taking breaks from giggling at the clumsy dialogue. Read full review
20
The IndependentClarisse LoughreyFeb 16, 2023
The Son is an ugly, blaring question mark of a film, and inexplicably terrible considering the talent involved. Read full review
20
UproxxVince ManciniJan 23, 2023
The Son plays disturbingly like an obtuse memoir written by a deadbeat dad who, try as he might, can’t figure out why his clinically depressed son’s vibes are so bad. Read full review
0
Austin ChronicleTrace SauveurDec 19, 2022
There are no astute or emotionally resonating takeaways to be had about the pain of depression, just stock melodrama with a cautionary-tale climax that feels desperate to shock. Read full review
More From This Movie

45 Critic Reviews

5.3 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 78 John Wick: Chapter 4
2 73 Creed III
3 67 Avatar: The Way of Water
4 63 Knock at the Cabin
5 61 Scream VI
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL