this is my review what was read on BBC radio so I will just coipypasta here. I LOVED this movie.
I am a drug addict and last night I watched Beautiful Boy. I've seen negative reviews criticising the film for not being subtle. I agree, it's not a subtle film. But drugs are not subtle. The problems of living with an addiction are not subtle, they are not nuanced. The film resonated so clearly with me and I found Timothee Chalamet's performance completely real.
It's great that the film acknowledges relapses are part of the process of recovery. Not enough films on this subject address this.
But what was best about the film, was seeing it from the father's perspective. I am the same age as Timothee Chalamet, and not in an all too different situation from the characters in this movie. It broke my heart, to see what Nic's dad goes through, and to think what I must be putting my parents through. To realise that the parents are giving nothing but their love, and when I can't see it that way, it's simply because they are not walking on the same path as you, so they cannot understand yet they try all the same. I am not a man who is known for crying in films, but Beautiful Boy broke me.
The film is not for everyone, but as someone who is currently living through similar experiences to the film, I found it to be an utterly authentic portrayal of a life-altering disease.