bad seed movie review 2000

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Luke Wilson (Preston Tylk) Norman Reedus (Jonathan Casey) Dennis Farina (Dick Muller) Mili Avital (Emily Tylk) Vincent Kartheiser (Dillon) Thomas M. Kelley (Randy) T.J. Thyne (Art Casey) Scott Nath (Student) Clifford Fetters (Wally) Casi Nicole Wilkerson (Paramedic)

Jon Bokenkamp

Preston Tylk is an ordinary guy living in Seattle. When he discovers that his wife, Emily, whom he adores, is having an affair, he is devastated. Storming out of the house, he returns later only to find her brutally murdered.

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Bad Seed (2000)

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Mpaa rating, produced by, bad seed (2000), directed by jon bokenkamp.

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Film Details

Brief synopsis, cast & crew, jon bokenkamp, andrew wilson, vincent kartheiser, dennis farina, t. j. thyne, mili avital, photos & videos, technical specs.

A man finds himself on the run for his life when he's falsely accused for the murder of his wife.

Luke Wilson

Norman reedus, marty cohen, chris eguia, joey forsyte, dan glasser, enid harris, randi hiller, kurt kuenne, kevin morris, dave percas, elanor rimassa, christopher s roberts, ingrid sisson-dooley, brian sullivan, ann trulove, hosted intro.

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 2000

Released in United States on Video July 24, 2001

Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 2000.

Straight-to-video release.

Began shooting early March 1999.

Completed shooting late March 1999.

Released in United States 2000 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival May 18 - June 11, 2000.)

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• IMDb 5.3 844
• Critics 20% 5
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Bad Seed streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Bad Seed" streaming on Amazon Prime Video or for free with ads on Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.

Where does Bad Seed rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

Streaming charts last updated: 9:17:26 AM, 04/22/2024

Bad Seed is 15291 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 11608 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than The Lost Legion but less popular than A Cookie Cutter Christmas.

Preston Tylk is an ordinary guy living in Seattle. When he discovers that his wife, Emily, whom he adores, is having an affair, he is devastated. Storming out of the house, he returns later only to find her brutally murdered.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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Bad Seed (2000)

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• 1 hr 32 min
• 5.4   (836)

Bad Seed is a gripping thriller movie from 2000 that stars Luke Wilson, Norman Reedus, and Dennis Farina. The film is directed by Jon Bokenkamp, and it explores the darker sides of human nature. The story follows two brothers, Preston (Luke Wilson) and Tommy (Norman Reedus) who are bound together by their criminal past. They are experts at pulling off high-stakes robberies, and they have always been able to stay under the radar. However, things take a drastic turn when they attempt a bank heist and the eldest brother Preston is captured by the police.

The younger brother, Tommy, goes on the run with the stolen money, and he quickly realizes that he needs to make a new life for himself. Tommy meets up with a woman named Leigh (Mili Avital), and they start a romantic relationship. However, Tommy's criminal past soon catches up with him when the dangerous and unpredictable Andrew (Dennis Farina) comes looking for the stolen money.

The film delves deep into the relationship between the two brothers, exploring the complexities of sibling dynamics. The younger brother Tommy is torn between a life of crime and starting over with his new love interest, Leigh. As he struggles with his morality, he turns to drugs, alcohol and violence to cope with the trauma and guilt.

Meanwhile, Andrew is relentless in his pursuit of the stolen money, and he is willing to do anything to get it, including resorting to violence. He is a menacing presence throughout the film, and his unpredictability keeps the audience on edge.

The performances in the film are outstanding. Luke Wilson and Norman Reedus have excellent chemistry as the two brothers. Their performance brings a sense of realism to the story, making the audience invest in their characters. Dennis Farina is equally excellent as the menacing antagonist, and he adds a layer of intensity to the film.

The film features excellent cinematography, which is beautiful yet gritty. The shots are well framed, allowing the audience to become immersed in the story. Similarly, the music is well-suited to the film, and it enhances the atmosphere of the story.

In conclusion, Bad Seed is an excellent thriller movie that explores the complexities of human nature. The film is well-acted, beautifully shot, and the story is captivating. The film will keep the audience on edge as they watch the story unfold. If you are a fan of thriller movies, then Bad Seed is definitely worth watching.

Bad Seed is a 2000 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.4.

• Genres Thriller
• Cast Luke Wilson Norman Reedus Dennis Farina
• Director Jon Bokenkamp
• Release Date 2000
• MPAA Rating R
• Runtime 1 hr 32 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 5.4   (836)

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‘Bad Seeds’ Review: A Scam Artist Teaches From the School of Life

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By Scott Tobias

• Dec. 24, 2018

“Bad Seeds” opens with a quote from Victor Hugo. (“There are no weeds, and no worthless men. There are only bad farmers.”) Then it pivots on another quote about troubled teens. (“Remember, a problem child is a child with problems.”)

Eventually, it just gifts the lead character, a scam artist turned educator, with a literal book of quotations. This sweet-and-salty redemption tale from France, written and directed by its mononymous star, Kheiron , wants to deliver a message about the outcasts and ne’er-do-wells of Paris banlieues. And it arrives one corny aphorism at a time.

As Wael, a former street child who steals wallets and hearts, Kheiron prowls through “Bad Seeds” with a sprightly restlessness that seems rooted in his stand-up comedy. Catherine Deneuve graciously cedes the floor as Monique, Wael’s adoptive mother and partner-in-crime, who has mastered her part in a nifty fake purse-snatching scheme. When Victor (André Dussollier), an old acquaintance of hers, catches them in the act, he threatens to press charges unless they agree to take part in his organization, which seeks to rehabilitate teenage delinquents.

There’s some fun in watching Wael con his students into learning — while also teaching them the art of the con — but the film, which debuted last week on Netflix , can’t keep the sentiment at bay for long. Between flashbacks to Wael’s hardscrabble past in an unnamed, bombed-out Middle Eastern city and its insistence on solving the problems of each and every one of his six students, “Bad Seeds” mostly sticks to an earnest syllabus.

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'The Bad Seed' Review: Lifetime's Adaptation Is a Missed Opportunity for Campy, Dark Fun

This latest Lifetime movie has something of an identity crisis, thus leaving it with a few bright spots in a messy mish-mash.

Lifetime movies are usually a lot of fun, and there’s no shame in liking them. From Mother, May I Sleep With Danger (both versions) to the recent adaptation of V.C. Andrews ' Flowers in the Attic series to the 2015 surprise Will Ferrell / Kristen Wiig thriller Deadly Adoption , there is no guilt here about these made-for-TV pleasures. So I went into The Bad Seed with popcorn and a glass of wine, ready for all the camp and thrills Lifetime usually delivers.

Instead, The Bad Seed can't seem to figure out exactly what it wants to be. It suffers from being neither dark enough nor campy enough — either choice would have been a lot more enjoyable. But it is stuck in a middle area that is devoid of over-the-top absurdity or any real darkness.

In this update of the 1954 William March novel (which was previously adapted into an award-winning play and award-nominated feature film in the 1950s, plus a made-for-TV movie in the 1980s that boasts an impressive cast), there are a couple changes made from the source material, several of which work really well and one which decidedly does not.

For Lifetime’s version, Rob Lowe stars as single father David, raising 9-year-old Emma ( McKenna Grace ) by himself after his wife died shortly after Emma was born. It's clear from the get-go (and the title of the movie) that there's something off about Emma. Without getting too spoilery, let's just say that this little girl is quite a budding sociopath.

In the original text, the little girl has two parents but is primarily being raised by her mother, which is certainly a product of the time period. The single father angle works well here, making this adaptation feel modern and bringing in a touch of the "daddy's little girl" trope, in that he's initially quite blind to his daughter's machinations. This version also eschews the thread that Emma is the way she is because she’s the granddaughter of an infamous serial killer. Yes, that’s the explanation from the source material and yes, it plays a little on the ridiculous side even in the excellent play and feature film. This version leaves Emma’s sociopathy unexplained, which works to make it all a little creepier.

However, the single dad angle introduces a babysitter character, Chloe ( Sarah Dugdale ), that really muddies the waters plot-wise. She's meant to be a foil for her evil charge, but the film can't decide if Chloe is for or against Emma's darkness. She quickly figures out what Emma is up to, but seems to glide right over it in order to try to seduce Emma's dad. It rings a little false and is another example of the film needing to figure out what it wants to be.

Chloe would have been far more effective as either a virtuous caregiver, which would have given the outcome of her storyline some emotional weight, or an incredibly dark accomplice for Emma. Like I've said before, either lean into the camp or take this movie full dark, no stars Lifetime.

Because of that, moments that were meant to be scary lacked the darkness to be truly scary, but they also weren't fun in an over-the-top way. The climax of the film did finally give into the darkness somewhat — and it's no coincidence that it’s easily the highlight of the movie. But by that point, it's really too little, too late.

There are a few bright spots that are worth mentioning. This is Lowe's first real foray into directing and he made a couple strong choices, so it'll be nice to see if he dips his toes into the directing pond again. Likewise, Grace is a talented actress and does a nice job here as Emma. In fact, she's good enough to have handled meatier material with aplomb, so again, it's a shame the movie didn't give her a darker character to sink her teeth into.

Finally, there's a great nod to the source material in that they cast Patty McCormack as Emma's psychiatrist. McCormack played Emma (then named Rhoda) in both the Broadway play and the feature film, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter. She's a lot of fun here in her small role, telling Emma during their session, "I did the exact same things as you when I was your age." That's great wink-wink moment, and worthy of a laugh. And yet, McCormack’s cameo is another example of how this movie could have benefitted from not taking itself so seriously, if it wasn’t going to go full-tilt into darkness.

If Lifetime movies are your thing, then get some friends together, crack open the wine and enjoy this for what it is. But maybe also pour one out for what could have been.

The Bad Seed premieres Sunday, September 9th on Lifetime.

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The Bad Seed

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