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6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Peck's Bad Boy remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like black-and-white family dramas that feel like they belong in a museum, sure. You’ll probably enjoy this if you have a soft spot for 1930s child actors or if you just want to see what a "bad boy" meant ninety years ago. But if you’re looking for high-stakes drama or anything even remotely subtle, you’ll probably hate it. It’s loud, it’s earnest, and it’s about as complex as a nursery rhyme.
Jackie Cooper plays Bill Peck, and man, does that kid have a rough go of it. He’s trying so hard to be the perfect son, but the movie just loves to stomp on his dreams. It’s almost painful to watch how quickly he gets blamed for stuff he didn't even do. You know those movies where you just want to reach through the screen and tell the dad to actually listen for once? This is one of those.
Enter Horace. The cousin. He’s the kind of character who looks like he’s plotting world domination just by eating a piece of cake. His presence ruins everything, and the way he manipulates the adults is honestly kind of impressive. It’s a bit like watching the bad guy in Gretl Wins First Prize, except with more pigtail-pulling and less charm.
There’s this one scene where a mess happens—I won't spoil exactly what—but Bill just takes the fall with this look of pure, defeated exhaustion. It’s a real moment. It feels less like a script and more like a kid who’s just realized the world is rigged against him.
The pacing is a bit weird. It drags in the middle, then suddenly sprints to the end like it’s late for a train. It doesn’t have the smooth flow you’d expect from a studio film, but that kind of makes it feel more… real? Or maybe just messy. Either way, it’s not polished.
It’s not as gritty as Eskimo, obviously. It doesn’t try to be. It just wants to show you a kid having a bad week. It succeeds at that, mostly because you’ll be stressed out on his behalf the entire time. 🙄
I think the best part is just watching the background extras. There’s one guy in a hat who walks past the house three different times in the same scene. I don’t know if he was lost or just really liked the sidewalk. It’s the little things that make these old movies weirdly fun.
Anyway, don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a movie that wants you to be annoyed at Horace. Mission accomplished, I guess.
IMDb —
1917
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