Review of Boy Erased (2018) by Tvjerry — 22 Nov 2018

In August, a movie about a teenage lesbian going to gay conversion therapy played theatres (The Miseducation of Cameron Post). With its star power and autobiographical credentials, I naturally assumed this movie would be more effective.

I was wrong. Lucas Hedges plays the son of a Baptist pastor (Russell Crowe, the most compelling performance in the film) who's sent to this film's version of conversion. Too much of the story is spent with the leader of the therapy (played by the film's writer/director Joel Edgerton) ranting, with too little time spent to develop the characters.

There are lots of close-ups of a mostly-deadpan Hedges that lack emotional heft, although Nicole Kidman, as his mom, does brighten up the screen. Sadly, the solemn pacing and dreary attitude keep this film from ever getting much emotional traction.