Review of Beautiful Boy (2018) by Daniel S — 09 Dec 2018

This film is kind of a bummer, no doubt about it. The depiction of drug use is honest and unflinching in both ways. When the reason someone does drugs is the above quote, how do you argue against it? The performances of Steve Carell as the father and Timothy Chalet as the drug addicted son are fantastic, depicting both sides of the tale as earnest and imperfect.

It does a great job of creating their relationship, and then testing it to (and sometimes past) its breaking point. It creates a very palpable sense of despair when he is using the drugs, and a palpable sense of impending doom whenever he isn't, sensing that the addiction hasn't entirely loosened its grip on him.

The story does well to progress in a non-linear fashion so as to largely keep things interesting and avoid the repetition of the cycle that the young man was stuck in of recovery and relapse. There's no easy answers or quick fixes here, which makes for a challenging, thought provoking and ultimately rewarding watch.

See it, then go home and watch a sitcom to cleanse the palate and put some smiles into your brain again.