Beautiful Boy (2018)

[baumer]

Discuss

[filmlover]

Can a movie be well-intentioned in its goals and still end up something of a muddled mess? Beautiful Boy answers that question with a definitive "why yes, it can." There's definitely some very affecting moments here when taken in isolation as it depicts one young man's battle with addiction. But it does so in a non-linear manner that does nothing but add a lot of unnecessary confusion as it goes from scene to scene with very little flow. Perhaps this is the result of combining two different memoirs into one, but nevertheless, it's a choice that doesn't work. Despite the very real plight of these characters, I never quite connected with what was happening. And it's also hamstrung by random music cues that barely go with what's happening on screen. What the movie does though is confirm that Timothee Chalamet really is one of the most promising actors of his generation after giving what was, in my opinion, the best performance of last year in Call Me by Your Name. He has proven to be a completely natural performer, and whenever the movie works, it's almost entirely because of him. I will look forward to anything and everything he does going forward. Steve Carell threatens to go a little over the top at times, but he gives a nicely understated performance otherwise. Maura Tierney and Amy Ryan are very good in thin roles. It's such a shame that the movie ends up being a miss overall because when it succeeds, it provides a moving glimpse at the damage addiction can cause to someone and those around them. Alas, it needed a better approach to hold it all together. C+

[Rorschach]

It has its fair share of problems. I agree with @filmlover that the film's non-linear approach was a bit confusing and not needed in the scope of the overall narrative. It's definitely a film that is trying to play on the emotions and while I feel it did really well in delivering that, there's a part of me that feels the film could've toned down on some of the overly dramatic presentation of its story (it doesn't help that the soundtrack to this film is highly melodramatic and feels really out of sync with what's happening on-screen).

 

Still, looking past some of its blemishes, the film is still very affecting. Steve Carrell and Timothee Chalamet are fantastic in this film, the latter proving that CMBYN wasn't just a fluke. Chalamet is an undeniable force of talent and when the film hits its high notes, its because of him. He's got quite the career ahead of him if he keeps this level of work up. The message of this film is an important one and I think it'll definitely capture the hearts of a lot of people that see it. I gotta commend it for that.

 

7/10

[Webslinger]

There’s a great deal of narrative messiness afoot in Beautiful Boy, but the two lead performances rescue the film at just about every single turn. Narratively, the film feels curiously short despite clocking in at two hours; numerous scenes begin and end with relatively little context, and seemingly important threads are either introduced or removed so abruptly that one can help but wish that the film had been given more room to breathe. The film also isn’t helped by jarring edits, such little discernible difference between flashbacks and present scenes that the timeline is not always entirely clear, or maudlin musical selections that stick out in contrast to the otherwise understated power of the scenes they accompany. And yet… it all works thanks to the stellar performances from Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carell. Fresh off his Oscar-nominated breakthrough in Call Me by Your Name, Chalamet is heartbreaking in the title role. His mannerisms feel scarily accurate to those of a young drug addict and he succeeds in giving the audience fleeting but poignant glimpses into the fuller, more promising life his character could have lived if not for the havoc addiction has wreaked upon his life. With such committed, affecting work, Chalamet cements his status as a young actor very much worth watching. Steve Carell is also in fine form as Chalamet’s much-put-upon father, who clearly wants to help his son despite not being able to understand his son’s predicament in a sufficiently meaningful fashion. Carell delivers the same expert restraint from his other acclaimed serious work in Little Miss Sunshine and Foxcatcher and plumbs new emotional depths as a father whose love and natural instincts clash with his inability to answer for his son’s tendency toward self-destruction. These performances carry the film every step of the way and ultimately make the film worth a hearty recommendation despite the caveat that it’s a messy experience that could have been more powerful with a somewhat sharper script and greater willingness to let the raw emotions in the performances speak for themselves.

 

B

 

Stray Thoughts:

- I'll go ahead and agree with filmlover that the musical selections detract from the film's effectiveness. For a film that thrives most when understated, it's discouraging to see the filmmakers undercut the raw power of the acting with on-the-nose choices like playing "Sunrise, Sunset" as if to say: "David wonders how his beautiful boy grew into a troubled adult so quickly... and wonders whether his other kids will do the same. Did you get it? Are you sure you got it? Should we keep playing the song so that you get it?"

 

- I feel like there was a solid half-hour left on the cutting room floor. Nowhere does that point come across clearer than in Kaitlyn Dever's sudden reappearance after getting minimal development much earlier in the film. (On a side note, Dever is excellent in the little-seen 2013 indie Short Term 12.)

 

- I didn't realize that Timothy Hutton was in the film until his name appeared rather high on the end credits. That's a nice nod to the obvious influence that Ordinary People had on this film with regard to depicting a stigmatized illness in a well-off family.

[Avatree]

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.

[dxmatrixdt]

this got so boring it was almost intolerable.  Beautiful Boy is a slow journey about a loner who graduates high school and discovers meth has corrected his feelings.  He becomes broke and has to request money from his parents and becomes a day-to-day shelter child where money = drugs, and he is always looking for something to do.  Alot of depression and dwelling, suffocation that leads to domestic issues, and drug tests.  The kid has to discover himself and his reaction to meth so there is no use of 'das ubermensch' in his withdrawn advice giving, and Steve Carell is seeking advice on meth addiction and al-anon methods instead of 'das uberman'.  It is a struggle to change lifestyles, to change an out of bounds child, and its a struggle to watch someone slowly walk into a wall. 

Not every movie has a doctor who tells one of the characters they need treatment and then the movie has to put them through treatment.  While on drugs, don't expect to connect with anyone, don't make dates, or make investments, because relationships only develop when they are dry.  Maybe you can develop muscle memory when high, but research memorizing would have to be done carefully and going the distance in relationships would be hard when wet on drugs because of that infant mindset your left with.

the editing was good enough for me to give this a solid B+, but i was so relieved when this was over so i'll move it to a B and 84/100.  The editing, acting, writing, cinematography was good, it was timely with all the drug stuff, but slow dramas with people running around with blindfolds on get me scratching my skin.  Its like when the cast in a horror movie doesn't stop the killer the way you would.

it makes me feel sorry for children with how dug in everyone is and wish people were spoiled more.

Edited May 30, 2019 by Clubs Are Trash