''Firstborn'' (titled ''Moving In'' in

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) is a 1984 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

starring

Teri Garr Terry Ann Garr (December 11, 1944 – October 29, 2024), known as Teri Garr, was an American actress. Known for her comedic roles in film and television in the 1970s and 1980s, she often played women struggling to cope with the life-changing ex ...

, Peter Weller, Corey Haim (in his film debut),

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

, Robert Downey Jr., and Christopher Collet. It was filmed in

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and

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. ''Firstborn'' centers on teenager Jake Livingston (played by Collett), whose home life is thrown into disarray when his mother's ne'er-do-well boyfriend moves in and pulls her into his dissolute lifestyle. It was released on

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and

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on July 31, 2012.

Plot summary

Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston's parents divorced two years earlier, and his mother Wendy has been dating other men, but she remains deeply in love with her ex-husband. When she learns he is remarrying, she sleeps with a man she met the same day, Sam, on the rebound. Jake and his preadolescent brother Brian are disturbed by this, but as Sam begins dating Wendy, they are won over by Sam's ingratiating manner and his gifting them both

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s. Jake's concerns are aroused when Sam announces vague plans to open a restaurant, just days after he told Jake that he was planning to start a security business. He is alarmed when Sam, having been booted from his apartment, moves into the Livingston house, something Wendy never allowed with any of her previous boyfriends, some of whom she dated far longer than Sam. As Jake and Brian assume a hostile attitude towards Sam, Sam begins physically abusing them. The atmosphere at home causes Jake's relationships with his friends and girlfriend to deteriorate and Brian to repeatedly get into fights at school. Without warning, Sam and Wendy disappear from the house for some days, leaving only a note that they are on a trip to a lake. While they are gone, Jake snoops into Wendy and Sam's bedroom and finds an assortment of illegal drugs. The next day he comes home to find a stranger looking for Sam and realizes Sam and Wendy left because they are ducking Sam's associates in the drug trade after a deal went sour. When they return, Jake confirms that Sam has introduced Wendy to

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

use. Wendy cannot see beyond Sam's charms or her own emotional needs. When Jake confronts her, she denies her

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

, insists upon the fantasy that they are going to open a restaurant, and says she cannot tell Sam to leave. As Wendy's mental state continues to deteriorate, Jake is forced to take on the parental roles in the household, including picking Brian up when he ends up in the principal's office. Jake and Brian's father still cares about them and Wendy, but his work is keeping him overseas for the near future, so Jake opts to hide their problems from him, and he cannot tell anyone else for fear of Wendy being imprisoned for her part in Sam's drug dealing. Brian wants them to run away from home, but Jake is unwilling to abandon their mother. A confrontation with his bullying teacher makes Jake realize he has the courage to stand up to Sam. When Sam gets a fresh supply of cocaine to go forward with his drug deal, Jake steals it and hides it in an abandoned building. He then gives Sam an ultimatum: leave their home, or he will tell the police about the cocaine. Sam is not intimidated, believing Jake would never do anything that would lead his mother to be arrested, and threatens to start beating Wendy if Jake does not tell him where the cocaine is. Jake gives in, and they retrieve the cocaine. When they get back to the house, Wendy demands Sam leave. Sam refuses, and a fistfight ensues, with Jake, Wendy, and Brian all rallying against Sam. Jake tells a battered Sam to leave, threatening to kill him if he ever comes back. Sam takes his things and leaves as the family embrace each other.

Cast

as Wendy Livingston * Peter Weller as Sam * Christopher Collet as Jake Livingston * Corey Haim as Brian Livingston *

as Lisa * Robert Downey Jr. as Lee * Christopher Gartin as Adam * Richard Brandon as Dad * James Harper as Mr. Rader

Reception

''Firstborn'' received mixed reviews from critics. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the film holds a rating of 36% from 14 reviews.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' gave the film two stars out of a possible four. He wrote how ''Firstborn'' started with promise due to good performances and realistic dialogue, but he "felt cheated" by the action film cliches in the climactic scenes because they did not address the serious issues the film raised.

References

External links

* * * * {{Michael Apted 1984 films 1980s teen drama films American teen drama films Films directed by Michael Apted Films scored by Michael Small Films set in New Jersey Films shot in New Jersey Paramount Pictures films 1984 drama films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films