Beautiful Boy Review

Written by Lauren HartmanArtwork by Calder SellNic Sheff collapses onto the grimy tile floor of the dimly-lit coffee shop bathroom, convulsing as the drugs seep into his system. It’s one of the last of a series of increasingly anxiety-inducing scenes of drug use throughout Beautiful Boy, a film chronicling the efforts of David (Steve Carell) to save his son, Nic (Timothée Chalamet) from his meth addiction. After the credits roll, audience members walk out wordlessly, the movie still sinking in as they discard the remnants of their bags of popcorn and cups filled with watered-down Cokes. Filled with spiraling flashbacks showcasing Nic as a boy and beautifully contemplative cinematography, the film itself parallels the exhausting cycle of relapse and recovery that families coping with addiction struggle through. Nic repeatedly sobers up before falling back off the wagon, each setback dragging him to a worse place than the last. The story doesn’t attempt to identify a catalyst for Nic’s addiction, instead focusing on the deterioration of his relationships with his family members as he spirals out of control, lying to and stealing from them as they desperately try to save him. The film’s leads carry the story, each only elevating the other’s performance: just when you think Carell has stolen the show with the raw authenticity of his portrayal of a father’s frantic pursuit of answers, Nic shoots up again, Chalamet masterfully executing his character’s drug-addled mannerisms.Based off of David and Nicolas Sheff’s paired memoirs, Beautiful Boy commands its audiences for its full two-hour run time, allowing them to share David’s hope when Nic stays sober but also his grief and frustration when his son relapses. The dark reality of the world portrayed by the film can be difficult to stomach, but its message is ultimately one of hope. In the age of the United States’ increasingly worsening drug epidemic, Beautiful Boy is a must-see.