Review of Ben Is Back (2018) by Moviemitch96 — 24 Dec 2018

This film stars Lucas Hedges (who also starred in 'Boy Erased' and 'Mid90s' earlier this season) as a drug addict who returns home on Christmas Eve to his family, prompting his mother (Julia Roberts) to help him get sober more than ever before.

Also interesting is that the director of this film, Peter Hedges, just so happens to be Lucas Hedges' father. I was actually really surprised the direction this film ended up taking a quarter into it, cause what started out as another drama about the perils of drug use and the toll it takes on family quickly delved into thriller territory once it's revealed early on in the film that Hedges' character has some unfinished business with some dangerous drug dealers who have broken into his family's home.

From that point on, the film becomes unexpectedly harrowing and tense, and I was really left on the edge of my seat during a handful of moments, especially towards the very end. On top of all that, Hedges and Roberts are both so fantastic and compelling together in this, bringing out some serious and raw emotion so many times throughout the film.

Overall, while I did find the sudden transition to thriller rather unexpected and kind of neat even, at the same time, it did also give the film a slight tone imbalance, but other than that, this is a really hard-hitting film about drug use and the devastating effects it has on family, much like the film 'Beautiful Boy' earlier this season, only just as distressing but much more intense, which I wasn't expecting.