Beautiful Boy Review
Beautiful Boy is the type of film that'll be difficult for many people. The subject matter is about drug addiction, and the film really likes to portray the destruction it causes in not only one's self, but their family too. And, this movie will be difficult for people who are expecting a redeemable story. There are no good feelings by the time the credits roll, your stomach will be one knot of sickening emotions in this avalanche of addiction.
At the heart of this film it's about a boy, Nic, and his father, David, and their relationship. There have been many addiction stories that have been put to film, and many of them will wrench you like a towel so that you'll be sobbing your eyes out in the end. This is not that movie. Beautiful Boy takes the addiction story and brings the POV to the family, particularly his dad, during his ordeal so that we can get a glimpse on how his addiction affects the loved ones around him.
At first his father doesn't know what's wrong with him. He notices a change, but respects him to come forward if it needs to be addressed. Then things get worse. Nic starts staying out later, then out for days, he's getting into trouble and it worries Dave. One of the more interesting aspects of this movie was how it handled the editing and how it related to Nic and Dave's fragmented relationship. Every time Nic went out and did drugs Dave is left at home to reminisce of Nic's childhood. It's very noticeable, and serves the plot to give perspective to the audience, and also allows Dave's emotions to come forth, but it also signified of how broken their perspective of this father-son relationship is by showing that inter-cutting past and present.
The main objective of this movie is to show the audience how much pain addiction causes loved ones around you, and how difficult and unrealistic it is that it's easy to get over. Because of that it suffers in story and character. While Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet provide great performances in this film it's still held back by the lack of set up and resolution. The audience never knows why Nic starts drugs, or what his first experience was like. The film opens with him already a year into using, and the answer he gives his dad isn't satisfactory, and because it's from Dave's perspective it feels confusing and you don't fully understand. Even thought that's what the film is going for it still felt like a handicap for the audience to sympathize with Nic and not give up on him. Then, when Nic decides to get clean for good in the end it felt very anticlimactic because, and realistically, he's done that many times and failed.
Because the film takes place over a wide expanse of time most of it is conveyed through montages. At two hours this can feel drawn out at times, and allows the audience a small taste of the elongated time that the family is experiencing while worrying about Nic. Unfortunately the film doesn't have enough substance to fill the run time when the film is Nic getting better, then falling off, then better again, but oops he's back on it. If this film was shorter, then the objective would have had a better impact, but instead this extended time only gives what the audience has already experienced just a few scenes ago again.
Overall, Beautiful Boy is another drug addiction story with powerful performances by great actors. It has an interesting perspective, but falls to the side when the film is mostly montages and Nic doing the same thing over and over again. The objective is quite clear, and one that is important, but the execution felt like getting over a drug addiction; one step forward, two steps back. I'd recommend to see this film if you're a cinephile, and like the Oscars.
