Fathers & Sons

Stars: Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, Deep Cover), Rosanna Arquette (Nowhere to Run), Rory Cochrane. A thriller in name only, watching Fathers & Sons is kind of like drinking near beer; there's a vague resemblance to a real movie here. In a nutshell, here are the mostly unrelated threads of the story: Jeff Goldblum, one of our most personable actors, stars as burned-out ex-movie director Max Fish, who has turned his attention to running a bookstore and appearing in local theater productions following the death of his wife. His teenage son Eddie (Rory Cochrane), experiments with drugs and sex, dreams about dolphins, and has trouble talking with his dad. Meanwhile the Shore Killer is racking up victims along the New Jersey coast. Eventually, an unsolicited carton of the self-published book Cats & Dogs by Isaac, which rambles on about extraterrestrial telepathy, arrives at Max's bookshop, and before long Max, Eddie, and others are simultaneously reading this book written by the Shore Killer for no other reason then it sets up the laughable climax. Oh yeah, Rosanna Arquette--who appears on the cover--has two brief pointless scenes in the film. Audience: Even dyed-in-the-wool Goldblum fans will find this one tough to swallow.