Beautiful Boy (2018)

Beautiful Boy stars the beloved Steve Carell and rising star Timothee Chalamet both in a film that tackles the struggles of drug addiction in a family. Based on the true story, Nic Cheff (Timothee Chalamet) is a teenage drug abuser who is addicted to Methamphetamine while David Cheff (Steve Carell) is helplessly trying to find a solution to cure his sons problem.

This film was so pure and wholehearted it really hit me in the feels. It felt so honest and true to itself that it had no problem telling the world the real story which saddened me when as at Odeons Screen Unseen it was a really small audience and when they revealed what film we would be watching, around 3 people walked out 10 minutes into it. It's definitely a tough one to sit through as it is a slow burner but luckily it doesn't waste time to grip your attention at key moments.

I can't sit here and blabber on about the other great aspects of this film without praising Steve Carell! Honestly, this man is a spectacle! This performance from him proves why he is my favorite actor and very underrated in the serious movie community. Of course, you'll recognize the name from The Office U.S. and The 40-Year Old Virgin and Despicable Me Series which is why I believe he is looked down upon when people decide to watch movies like these as they expect a comedy but end up watching an intense drama where Steve takes cocaine. He is purely fantastic in this role and shows great agony and undying love for his son that won't hold back and won't stop at anything to make sure his "Beautiful Boy" is okay! Timothee is great too though, they both bounce off each other. The star power this film holds is breathtaking! Timothee proved himself to be great in Call Me By Your Name but I honestly believe he is the next Leo! He really is going to become one of the greats! Chalamet is a legend in the making!

Tackling a tough subject like drug abuse, it means you're going to have to get into the nitty-gritty side of life and I believe this film portrayed it correctly. That doesn't mean this is a perfect film. There is a lot wrong with it. The score is really nice but it's overbearing and obnoxious. It's really loud and in your face and at points and that took me out of my cinema experience which became frustrating.

The major problem is the storytelling aspect. The pace and structure is messy and jarring to the extent that I was starting to sigh out loud to show my annoyance. It does many times jump forward and at one point, in around 3 minutes the movie jumped forward a whole year which could've made for a couple nice, heartfelt scenes to show what Nic is like when he's not addicted. The narrative goes in a constant cycle of the same situations and same plot points just told in a different way, Nic would be addicted - Nic would get clean - He would relapse and become addicted again and that just goes on and on. It gets to the point of predictability that you just had to bet what new and imaginative way it would happen. This might be because it was written by 4 people including the director, I don't know, but the screenplay needed to be shorter.

The thing that kept me attached was the emotional truth this film gave not just about drugs but about the world this family and many others go through as it doesn't just affect one person it affects a whole bunch. That's what's wonderful and sincere about this is really how it touches you. It's hard for someone like me, as named by friends "a film addict", to get emotionally attached to stories such as these as they're becoming so familiar but something about this one was so pure and powerful!

Felix van Groeningen, much like his previous films, creates a story that is about struggles in the family and certain scenes of this film really hit home and make you have a love for such an undeveloped character. The effect Nic being on drugs has on his younger siblings. In many scenes when he arrives back at the house, they are summoned with mounts of energy and excitement to see him as they miss him and such a little detail makes you care even more for the certain aspects of their life.

The choices Felix made in this film are really brave as some scenes are physically displeasing to watch which includes the injecting on needles into one's arms. Most films either cut away or have quick cuts to show either their protagonist or antagonist is doing Heroin but this film decides to show you, first hand, what it looks like not to just inject it but how quickly it takes a toll on your body and the effect it has straight after. It's watching someone suffer so quickly that gives you empathy and warmth to someone as they're not doing well.

To sum up this review. Beautiful Boy hits the core spots of not just your heart but the destruction of families and humans by the impact of Drugs.