Like Father Like Son (2025) - Film Review

      Like Father Like Son, 2025.

      Written and Directed by Barry Jay.

      Starring Dylan Flashner, Ariel Winter, Vivica A. Fox, Mayim Bialik, Dermot Mulroney, Jim Klock, Prima Apollinaare, Eric Michael Cole, Benjamin Mackey, Casey James, Daniel Lench, John C. Epperson, Michael Roddy, Laura L. Cottrel, Ronit Gilbert-Aranoff, Chris Gann, Jonathan Tysor, Pappy Faulkner, Jonathan Shores, Mike Capozzi, Tim Sitarz, Tamika Katon-Donegal, and Coel Mahal.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Eli's father is on death row for murder. As Eli grapples with violent urges of his own, he takes extreme measures to escape the family's cycle of violence.

      In writer/director Barry Jay’s unrelentingly grim and poorly constructed film, Like Father Like Son, no tragedy or traumatic event is spared for manipulation. The film attempts to explore a hereditary cycle of self-righteous, murderous violence passed down from father to son but does so absurdly from the outset, becoming increasingly nonsensical every few minutes while seemingly intent on introducing a new horror element. This includes domestic abuse, sexual assault stories (with a hint of incest involving a minor), neo-Nazi revelations, and an overprotective boyfriend who not only kills anyone he perceives as threatening towards his girlfriend but manages to do so spontaneously and publicly without ever being apprehended. The relationship showcased is not presented as a perilous descent, warning against reckless, overprotective violence. What’s alarming is that this dynamic is heavily romanticized without any depth of characterization or believable darkness.

      Eli (Dylan Flashner) is traumatized after witnessing his father, Gabe (Dermot Mulroney), murder a teenager in broad daylight, justifying his actions by claiming the boy was hurling homophobic slurs at a much younger child enjoying a comic book. Disturbed, Eli reports his father. Although this revelation surprises everyone, Gabe has evidently harbored a violent side and may have committed other acts of murder. Despite the circumstances, Eli is left traumatized, attempting to cope daily while working a thankless job selling life insurance, pressured by a demanding boss to abandon his morals and manipulate customers into buying policies.

      One night, Eli meets Hayley (Ariel Winter) for a brief encounter. When it's time for her to leave, he reveals unsettling traits resembling his father, becoming confrontational and suspecting she only slept with him to rob him. Naturally terrified, Hayley wants nothing to do with him afterward. However, the film takes a bizarre turn when she becomes infatuated with Eli after he saves her from sexual assault by killing her attacker in an alley. This occurs while she is engaged in sex work, as she, too, is facing financial difficulties and homelessness, while Eli struggles to pay rent.

      Still, she returns to his place, and they start a sexual relationship, with her now attracted to his sociopathic tendencies. To clarify, this isn’t a complicated exploration of twisted eroticism; it's portrayed as a wholesome romance where Hayley feels comfortable around Eli despite his previous aggression. Discussing this film is thoroughly frustrating.

      This encapsulates approximately the first 20 minutes of the movie. It cannot be emphasized enough that this is merely the beginning of the relentless shock tactics on display, which often fail to elicit genuine shock given the amateurish and poorly edited nature of the film. The repulsive content is rendered less offensive due to the abysmal performances, leaving little for viewers to engage with. Even a scene where a child is threatened with a knife later feels more comical than shocking, as it fits the film's tacky trajectory.

      One might question whether Barry Jay intended to create a perverse, dark comedy that spiraled out of control, but the closing credits’ messages about early indicators of sociopathy and violence suggest he believes he is producing serious art. While the film could be labeled as misery porn, it lacks sufficient material to evoke genuine misery; it’s merely a tedious 88 minutes of watching a largely unremarkable protagonist repeatedly kill without facing any repercussions or substantial conflict, leaving the experience feeling interminable. Like Father Like Son has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd.