This is much more than just an account of troublesome relationships with constantly more messed up complications; the theme is timeless, and is observed right from the beginning by the reference to the troublesome relationship between king David and his son Absalom, but here the son is no rebel, he is given a perfect education and brought up to be the perfect gentleman, the problem is that his father never realizes his son has no character. His irresponsibility constantly wreaks disaster in relationships around him, and particularly for his father and his wife and closest friends. Too late he realizes that he never succeeded in bringing up his son, as he never became more than a cheat and a liar, which he too cleverly conceals under his charming surface of gentlemanly infallibility. Brian Aherne as the father and Louis Hayward as the son both make magnificent performances, while the best part of the story is the lifelong friendship between William Essex (Aherne) and Dermot O'Riorden (Henry Hull), both being Irish growing up together having hard times in downtown industrial Manchester, their friendship carrying them unchanged through every crisis. Only the women see clearly through Hayward's lack of character, his mother first of all, then also Brian Ahern'e's wife and other victims, while the father in his love remains blind until it is too late. Of course, the one thing you keep hoping for in stories like this is for the delinquent to some day come to any insight and remorse for bungling his life, and of course he finally does so when it is too late, while the father's love still naturally outlives him.
Review of My Son, My Son!
