Gumption Film Review Beautiful Boy
Based on a true story, Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet star in this honest look at a family that is ripped apart by a son’s methamphetamine addiction.
Image via The Wrap
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Beautiful Boy follows the lives of two men, a father and a son. Based off of both of their Memoirs (father David Sheff’s Beautiful Boy, and son Nic Sheff’s Tweak), we see the tumultuous twists and turns of a relationship when Nic becomes addicted to Crystal Meth. Gut wrenching and poignant, both Carell and Chalamet deliver honest depictions of a father son bond as it is seemingly ripped apart.
The portrayal of Carell’s David was an especially gripping one. He portrayed, for lack of a better term, the perfect father. Quiet, calm and strong, he spends the better part of the film fighting for his son’s welfare despite the many lapses in NIc (Chalamet)
’s recovery he seems to be victim to.
Chalamet is an actual force of an actor. His portrayal in last years Call me by your Name was a tour de force of sincerity and child like naivety, but in this role he gives us a young man, with everything going for him, who seemingly becomes attacked by an alien entity that causes him to become the exact opposite of what both he and his father have always known.
This film also serves as the return of Maura Tierney, who plays Carell’s second wife, Karen. The role of the step mom is not necessarily one that gets much credit or depth in film, but Tierney has gorgeous moments in this film where you go from questioning her genuine love for her step son, to rooting for her and her commitment to the strength of her family.
image via SimonandSchuster.co.uk
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to me this film is a triumph of emotional connection. You don’t have to have had a battle with addiction to feel the intensity of a relationship between a father and a son. Our dads, atmospherically, are our protectors, the ones who shield us from the harm of the world. Carell delivers such a rousingly quiet performance of a father who cannot protect his son from the perils in his life, but who regardless, cannot give up on him . Chalamet once again shows us why he just might be the best actor of the coming generation through an emotional and physical (he lost 20 pounds for the role) transformation that is both jaw dropping and heartbreaking. This is definitely a title in the eyes and mouths of those predicting this years award season, and after seeing it we can definitely say this is one we are rooting for.
The film deals with subject matters that can hit close to home for all of us. Therefore the Film’s website offers links to Addiction Services, which, to me, is an important path for the film to take. For more information about Beautiful Boy, or to learn about Addiction Services in your area, click the button below to view their website.
