MovieChat Forums > Beautiful Boy (2018) Discussion > Just touches the surface of addiction.

Just touches the surface of addiction.

posted 5 years ago by 123eve (1)
4 replies | jump to latest

Such an emotional film surrounding a powerful relationship between father and son which did make me cry. However the movie was too hollywoody for my liking, it just touched the surface of struggling with addiction and the mental complexity of it. Really just wasn't raw enough.
Films such as trainspotting and requiem for a dream, delve into the inescapable mindset and perspective of those with addictions, which is really important for films of such serious issues.
Despite this I did find the film very thought-provoking and liked seeing Steve Carell being an emotive character instead of a comical one.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

I thought Timothee Chalamet was brilliant in this, and I always like Steve Carrell, but I think what prevented this film ever feeling as raw as, say, Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream (which are, admittedly, much harder films to watch) is that the characters here were mostly protected from ever hitting rock bottom thanks to their relative socioeconomic privilege.

I'm not suggesting that the real people played by Chalamet and Carrell didn't face enormous difficulties and struggles, but save for the son's drug addiction, which the father had the resources and connections to eventually treat and support him through, they lived a pretty idyllic existence in a massive house in the Californian countryside pursuing well-paid careers and hobbies that excited them rather than mundane or gruelling minimum wage jobs.

[–] Nina (527) 5 years ago

Thats what I actually wrote in my Topic: The movie was too soft

[–] jlam888 (574) 7 months ago

I recommend this fairly unknown Swedish film https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1376710/
that is in the same league but does it better than Beautiful boy.