Firstborn

Another early example of the PG-13 rating is Michael Apted and Ron Koslowis, this coming-of-age drama about a teenager (Sleepaway Camp’s Christopher Collett) whose home life is turned upside-down when his mother (the great Teri Garr) invites her ne'er-do-well boyfriend (Peter Weller, who also played the titular Buckaroo Banzai earlier this year)) to move in with them. The presence of this unstable father figure causes stress and tension for the kid and his little brother (Corey Haim in his first movie). Weller gives an excellent turn playing a guy who seems friendly and cool but who instantly registers as bad news the second Collett sees him lying on the sofa drinking beer and watching gameshows in the middle of the afternoon. Garr does her best playing a lonely single mom who falls too easily under the sway of a new lover who draws her into situations that seriously jeopardize the safety of her family. Garr's limited screen time prevents us from fully understanding her character, but that is the intention of this story, which is told from the perspective of the firstborn son. When his broken home becomes a dysfunctional one, he loses respect for his mom and feels like he needs to take on the unwelcome presence himself. There's a lot of compelling melodrama in Firstborn, but also a lot that misses the mark. The film is also notable for early performances by the young Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr.