Oakes Fegley excels as a boy trying to find his real father.
As “Adam the First” begins, David Duchovny as an old man named James tells his boy Adam that he isn’t his biological father and that he found him all alone in the forest as a baby. He doesn’t know how Adam’s father is and what he has done, but all he knows is that he loves him unconditionally. I never saw the trailer for this movie, so I didn’t really know what to expect, other than the boy (Oakes Fegley) growing up to find out who his real father was.
As I kept watching the film, I found something unique within the story, regarding the boy’s questions and what he has to do to get them answered. You know how young people are when they want to know their true roots, whether or not they’re going to like the outcome. And even through some formulas, it manages to overcome them with pure emotions. I sure was able to overcome whatever happens.
When Adam asks his adoptive mother (Hartleigh Buwick) who is real father is, she scolds him that no father leaves his child alone in the woods in a basket, and closes with her message about James: “This is your father. This is the man who raised you.” It makes sense considering their love for him, and it’s also refreshing that he doesn’t act like a spoiled brat when denied an answer. He’s 14 years old, and he should know better. But I’m not in his shoes, so what do I know?
The parents, unfortunately, die trying to protect him from dangerous men, but James’ final letter to Adam states that his father’s name was Jacob Watterson, and gives him a few addresses. Any one of these men could be named Jacob, so the young man begins a trek to find out which one.
Will Adam embrace or criticize his biological father, if he does reunite with him? Why don’t we let the movie decide on that.
The first Jacob (Eric Hanson) is a prisoner, the second (Jason Dowies) has a family of farmers, the third (Larry Pine) is an old painter, and the fourth is the third Jacob’s estranged son Jacob Jr. (T.R. Knight). We can pretty much guess that one of the last few Jacobs could be Adam’s father, but there are some insight from some of them, if not all of them.
Written and directed by Irving Franco (“Cheerleader”), “Adam the First” allows Fegley to continue growing up as a young actor. I’ve avoided reviewing “The War with Grandpa,” because I knew this was not the role the young man was born to play. His best work happens to include “”Wonderstruck,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “The Fabelmans,” and his new movie joins that list. He eases into his character’s struggles and maturity, and he has fine support from the likes of Duchovny, Hanson, and Pine.
The formulas include the young man robbing a gun shop owner and avoiding some cops, but there are other scenes worth seeing. If you are able to read my review and trust my judgement, then give “Adam the First” a shot, and you’ll see what I’m seeing. A fresh movie with an excelling young actor like Fegley.
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