Rory Culkin plays a man facing tough questions after his father dies in 'Jack Goes Home.'
A muddled psychological horror film about a young man coping with the death of his father, Jack Goes Home is a puzzle few viewers will care to piece together. A leading turn by Rory Culkin may attract some attention to this sophomore feature directing effort by TV actor Thomas Dekker, but the picture’s sluggish start and shaggy-dog conclusion will not inspire good word-of-mouth.
Culkin plays the title character, a single child who returns home after his parents have a car accident. Jack’s matter-of-fact phone call to his pregnant girlfriend, in which he dispassionately recounts the grisly details of his father’s death, are the first sign that something isn’t right about this family, and for its opening hour the film promises to be an odd but sincere probing of family dysfunction.