This has been an amazing year for movies, and we’re only starting to get into Oscar season. So many of this year’s amazing movies have been incredibly emotional/heartbreaking/overwhelming and I don’t know how much more my poor empathetic little heart can take. Still, I press on, because these films have all touched on very important subjects that need to be spotlighted. That brings us to Beautiful Boy.
Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet star as father and son, who are both trying to understand and conquer son’s drug addiction. We follow them over the course of several years of recovery and relapse, showing the toll that addiction takes on the entire family.
Both gave incredible performances, and while I’m hearing more people talk about Timmy, it was Steve that had my heart through the movie. I love seeing him take on serious roles. He has an “every man” quality to him that you sympathize with, and you feel like you’re taking the emotional journey along with him. He’s particularly effective, because he plays most of it with a calm and patient restraint, which is the opposite of what you’d expect in someone in such a dramatic role. But inevitably, he breaks, and that’s when I lose it. One scene towards the end particularly caught me off guard and I was overwhelmed as the flood gates broke.
The other thing I really liked about the film was the way it was put together. I guess I should say it was the editing. As scenes would play out, they’d splice in glimpses of flashbacks. I felt like it broadened the story in a way that a straight narrative never could do. It also gave a sense of realism because it felt like memories resurfacing as you’re processing current events, which is a very human thing.
I really hope this film gets people talking about addiction, and directs people towards the help and support they need. It’s such a powerful story, and one that’s all too common today.
Beautiful Boy – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/