Beautiful Boy

Name: Beautiful Boy
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: October 12, 2018
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Amy Ryan, Christian Convery, Julian Works, Kaitlyn Dever, Kue Lawrence

2018

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 112 Ratings

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7.2

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7.2	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 112 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Amazon Studios | Release Date: October 12, 2018 | R

Starring: Amy Ryan, Christian Convery, Julian Works, Kaitlyn Dever, Kue Lawrence, Maura Tierney, Oakley Bull, Stefanie Scott, Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet

Summary: Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years.

Director: Felix Van Groeningen

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: R

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

Samantha Incorvaia

Oct 18, 2018

Director Felix Van Groeningen unflinchingly depicts the struggles and hopes of a family affected by drug addiction in a powerfully honest movie with gut-wrenching acting. Read full review

Joshua Rothkopf

Oct 13, 2018

Parents will feel heard by this movie in a way that few other films have tried. Everyone else should go for the kid, who's a rocket taking off. You want to be able to say you were there when it happened. Read full review

Rex Reed

Oct 16, 2018

Carell delivers a performance both tender and tough. Read full review

David Sims

Oct 12, 2018

Van Groeningen isn’t too curious about what got Nic into drugs, nor how he finally pulled out of the spiral. Beautiful Boy largely exists in between those two stories and ends up feeling like a limited, grueling experience. Read full review

Lindsey Bahr

Oct 11, 2018

A film like this, as authentic and raw as it is, should probably leave audiences in a puddle and not exiting the theater wondering why they’re not. Read full review

The Guardian Benjamin Lee

Sep 8, 2018

There are moments of crushing emotional weight but as the film progresses, they start to carry less power. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Oct 11, 2018

The root problem is repetitiveness, the seemingly endless cycle of progress and relapse that causes heartbreak in real life and induces déjà vu in audiences — even dejà déjà vu, since there’s repetition within the already familiar pattern. The mosaic structure is simply, though not successfully, an attempt to hold our attention. Read full review

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User Reviews

sassymah

Oct 17, 2018

The best movie I have seen so far in 2018. It is heart-wrenching, compelling, emotionally raw, and authentic. The acting from Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell is strong and Oscar-worthy. Timothee is proving to be one of the best actors of his generation. It is a no-frills movie thatThe best movie I have seen so far in 2018. It is heart-wrenching, compelling, emotionally raw, and authentic. The acting from Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell is strong and Oscar-worthy. Timothee is proving to be one of the best actors of his generation. It is a no-frills movie that illustrates the struggles and cyclical nature of destructive addiction, relapse, and recovery. It is beautifully directed and poignantly adapted from two memoirs. It also displays the emotional dynamic and turmoil of the father-son bond wonderfully. The cinematography is also top notch and captures the tone of the film. I am honestly baffled by some of the critic reviews. Beautiful Boy deserves a much higher rating. The film is honest and I empathized with the issues because the film explores the pain in such a real way. We witness how the addiction affects the entire family and how average people can be sucked into the black hole that drugs offers. It is relevant in this day and age to show the problems that relatable youth face. In most Hollywood films, we typically see the addiction melodramatically explored with individuals suffering from a specific trauma or living in abject poverty. In this film, we see the torment & despair of addiction powerfully & realistically explored within a middle-class family. Beautiful Boy is a must-see for everyone. It deserves Oscar nominations for Timothee Chalamet, adapted screenplay, cinematography, and directing. The movie is so much better than a number of the other acclaimed, flashy Oscar contenders of 2018. Beautiful Boy is candid and naturalistic. Not only does the audience get access to such fine artful filmmaking but also gets served with life lessons.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

bfoore90

Mar 9, 2019

An incredibly realistic, tragic and searing looking at addiction and the toll that it takes the victims, their friends and their families. A Beautiful Boy is a must see

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

alejandro970

Mar 17, 2019

The drug addiction drama handled straight and fair in two view points: the addict and his fathers. Carell develops enough personality in this real life drama based on book of memories. For watch while singing the item song by John Lennon.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

EDOGGYTHEMOVIE

May 16, 2022

This movie is okay. This movie is okay. This movie is okay. This movie is okay.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Jan 4, 2019

More Parenting Advice.

Beautiful Boy Groeningen's cure for this inevitable generation gap may be separated with mutual hatred, but somehow in its own incapabilities it beats to a toe-tapping rhythm. The decision to narrate the storyline non-linearly is something that still is questionable.More Parenting Advice.

Beautiful Boy

Groeningen's cure for this inevitable generation gap may be separated with mutual hatred, but somehow in its own incapabilities it beats to a toe-tapping rhythm. The decision to narrate the storyline non-linearly is something that still is questionable. Yes, it gives them enough reason to fast forward or highlight the plot points, but then it looks like they were seeking for a reason to connect or communicate. Nevertheless, with heartwarming conversation and accurate description on both beauty and gore, it sails smoothly. The film is set in beautiful locations and is lit up bright and easy, no matter how much then the characters suffers vigorously. This contrast kept it mind by Groeningen is something to enjoy.

But all in all, the film ought to and does dwell upon the core relationship of Carell and Chalamet. A ride so raunchy and rugged that it breathes modesty more than innocence. On that very note, the film is a triumph. If it manages to scrape out last bit of innocence from Chalamet's account, then it breeds humbleness in Carell's. This vision that isn't compromised to glorify the characters or justify through logistics, shows honesty in filmmaking. But still there is a lot left in the court to wander about.

And this uneasy voids or untouched grounds is its primary weakness. The rest of the material is often meaningless and can easily be filtered out as a distraction. Yes, they do get their opinion or perspective in on the narration, but then it seems like either it is too late or inevitably irrelevant. Groeningen sets the scene beautifully, he smartly scatters little points on the screen to work your way up but when it comes to end one, he feels a bit short handed to live up to his excellence as it did on igniting it. Carell is not your overprotective guardian, he is the friends of friends.

He pushes the boundaries by not keeping one between him and his son. A mistake or a masterstroke, the film ping pongs this decision often in the film, diplomacy is appreciated in here. His tendency to keep nagging and poking through his rigid ideologies and also to be open mind enough to grasp the one dimensional nature of anyone, balances the tone to a humane version. Chalamet, the victim or so it may seem like, is frankly more convincing when sober rather than floating around in his imagination.

Their chemistry has a lot of pressure to fill in, which they deliver, it takes a lot of effort from them, but they do. The supporting cast has done a decent work although, Ryan feels a bit underused and surprisingly Tierney gets a big chunk of impressive role which evidently bodes well to both her performance and the track. There is very little mining on terms of the concept, it is happy to surf over it and decorate it with dramatic effects as much it can. Beautiful Boy is far from being a beautiful tale, it is essential for the awareness, but productivity is to be looked over.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

section20mi6

Apr 15, 2020

While acting is genuine, narrative sequence are lackluster and uneven throughout, proving to be ill-excited but well-intentioned.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bataguila

Jul 8, 2019

Aburrida, quiere ser un drama de novela. El timothy cae muy mal, y Steve de actor dramático esta vez no le salió

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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