Beautiful Boy (2018)

A difficult one.

Well, I'm not the guy that gets upset because every little thing and I really wanted to like the movie, but "Beautiful Boy" has definitely a few faults.

Firstly, the editing (especially in the first half) is very confusing. The flashbacks are so mixed up it's hard to understand. The dialogues were also cut very short what brings me to the next point.

It wasn't that easy to build an emotional relationship with the characters. I mean it wasn't the casts fault: Steve Carell is the highlight of the whole movie, Timothée Chalamet is brilliant and Maura Tierneys performance is very good too, but to me it wasn't enough to connect. The very usual story also seemed to be a bit too superficial. I know the movie is based on the memoirs of the two main characters but together with the postcard pictures and the sad Indie music (something I usually like), it felt like the movie is very close to a parody of itself.

All in all, it may sound worse than it actually is, it's a solid movie, but that's it.

6.5/10

Fmovies: A wonderful movie of the damage addiction causes in our lives and how insidious it can be. The cast does a wonderful job in portraying the different aspects with the exception of keeping it a little too clean in terms of the thefts and betrayals.

Very inspirational in the portrayal of the family not quitting on Nic while realizing it's on Nic to make the decision to stay in recovery.

All too real.

All respect to the Sheff family. Everything!!

As John Lennon's lyrics go:

"'Cause it's a long way to go, A hard row to hoe Yes, it's a long way to go"

And so it proves for young Nic Sheff (Timothée Chalamet). For - based on a true story - Nic has progressively worked through the encyclopaedia of drugs until he has arrived at "C for Crystal Meth" where he is working through a recurring nightmare of addiction and attempted rehab.

What's harder... being the victim of drugs or being the caring onlookers desperately hoping that this attempt to climb the slippery pole to recovery will be a successful one? This is reflected as a key aspect of the film, and as a parent it makes for a very hard watch. The 'caring onlookers' in this case are Nic's father David (Steve Carell), his girlfriend Karen Barbour (Maura Tierney), the couple's natural children Jasper (Christian Convery) and Daisy (Oakley Bull), and David's ex-wife and Nic's mother Vicki (Amy Ryan).

This is only the 2nd English-language film from director Felix van Groeningen (after 2012's " The Broken Circle Breakdown") and the film has its fair share of impressive directorial flourishes such that Felix might need to get added to that elusive list of "famous Belgians"! Not least among them is the use of flashbacks. The film starts with a 12 month flashback, but then throughout the story David flashes back to scenes of his boy's childhood. Many of these reflect the regret in perhaps failing to identify ways he could have done things differently to avoid the current crisis.

While many of these flashbacks are sudden and unexpected, I didn't find them confusing to follow although I can see how they might annoy some viewers who prefer a more 'linear' storytelling approach.

Above all, it is the acting performances that make this film, and the four key cast members all turn in memorable turns. It's excruciating watching Carell's parental anguish and then (like a blast of light) his realization of a truth he'd been avoiding for a long time. It's Chalamet though who truly shines, delivering fully on the realization of the tortured and self-torturing Nic. Already nominated for a Golden Globe, I would have thought another Oscar nomination is assured for this. ER's Maura Tierney also excels in a quieter supporting role: something that generally seems to be her niche at the movies.

This is most definitely a gruelling movie from beginning to end - especially for parents of young teens - and as such it feels a lot longer than it's 2 hour running time suggests. But it is well worth the effort. A drama that really delivers on its message: "just say no". It rather frustrates me that the film is a UK 15 certificate. Not that I'm criticising the BBFC here, since with graphic drug taking, a lot of choice language and one (not overly graphic) sex scene, the rating is appropriate. However this would seem to me to be required viewing by every 13 year old, since if Chalomet's performance can't drill the message home to not climb onto that pole in the first place, then noone can.

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web and Facebook. Thanks).

Beautiful Boy fmovies. This is a journey of a son and a father trying to cultivate their relationship. When one expects, and neglects to see what is infront of him. A son who is in need of acceptance, a son that incapacitates the characteristics of a lost soul. This movie portraits the epitome of what is happening in the minds of youth in this dire generation. A masterpiece that was brought to life.

1. I have never cried in movies, and I cried from beginniing to end 2. This movie really shows how distressed and powerless a parent can feel when their child is in pain. You understand that all they can do is give unconditional love and support but that they can't save their child even if they would do anything to. 3. Addiction is a monster but it does not define you, it isnt who you are. 4. Timothée and Steven's performance is so real and powerful, you feel the emotions they are trying to convey. I cannot imagine this movie better done than it is now, and it really really deserves an oscar

(Really) Great performances by all.

I don't understand the reviews that are saying it's emotionally disconnected or cold; surely this is intentional? There's the person. And there's the junky. And you do become emotionally disengaged when dealing with them or you get sucked into their groundhog day vortex.

This film walks well the fine line that is trying to care for a person within the family with proper substance abuse issues. They're often beautiful. And gifted. Which makes it all the more heartbreaking to see them do what they do. It's the hardest thing to know how to help a junky and perhaps even harder to accept that this is their choice.