CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY - originally titled THE HARVEST - is a great example of movie mis-selling. Looking at the DVD box you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a supernatural horror either about psychopaths, devil worship, or an evil entity residing inside a family home. In reality it's about none of those things, rather this is a psychological thriller about a couple of maladjusted parents and the disabled and lonely son they care for.
The film is directed by John McNaughton, who made the infamous HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER back in the 1980s. That was an example of edgy, independent film-making, whereas CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY is strictly by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I was mainly interested in watching it because Michael Shannon plays the father, although he doesn't have very much to do here other than play the usual kooky character and he's a bit more restrained than usual. By contrast, I wish Samantha Morton had been more restrained; her character is larger than life here and her acting suffers for it.
The film is quite slow paced although the child angle of the story is refreshing and reminded me of THE SECRET GARDEN, of all things, at some points. Sadly it gets less and less believable as it goes on, closing with one of those ridiculously contrived and clichéd climaxes that Hollywood knows and loves. It's a sour end for a film which occasionally promises much but delivers nothing out of the ordinary.
The film is directed by John McNaughton, who made the infamous HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER back in the 1980s. That was an example of edgy, independent film-making, whereas CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY is strictly by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I was mainly interested in watching it because Michael Shannon plays the father, although he doesn't have very much to do here other than play the usual kooky character and he's a bit more restrained than usual. By contrast, I wish Samantha Morton had been more restrained; her character is larger than life here and her acting suffers for it.
The film is quite slow paced although the child angle of the story is refreshing and reminded me of THE SECRET GARDEN, of all things, at some points. Sadly it gets less and less believable as it goes on, closing with one of those ridiculously contrived and clichéd climaxes that Hollywood knows and loves. It's a sour end for a film which occasionally promises much but delivers nothing out of the ordinary.