62
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinLike its fellow crowd-depressor "Blue Valentine," Beautiful Boy offers the antithesis of escapism: a claustrophobic, punishingly intense, beautifully measured exploration of the depths of human despair.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversBlazing performance will burn in your memory. Same goes for the film.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenThe Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenDirecting from the nonjudgmental script he wrote with Michael Armbruster, Ku's assured, unadorned documentary style allows his leads ample breathing room to inhabit their devastated characters.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonAlthough it's very much a contemporary yarn, there's a distinctly '70s feel to much of Beautiful Boy.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanMichael Sheen and Maria Bello both have wrenching moments in this quiet, oblique drama. Yet the movie isn't really convincing.
- 63Slant MagazineSlant MagazineThis complex emotional texture no doubt owes a lot to Bello's stunning performance, which works by screwing with the familiar conventions of reaction shots; she goes cold when we expect her to freak out and explodes when we expect her to be silent.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceWhile Beautiful Boy is potent and even admirable, it ultimately mistakes prim, emotional monotony for gravity.
- 40Time OutDavid FearTime OutDavid FearWhile the filmmaker may favor a classic Amerindie art-house style - shaky cameras, peekaboo framing, fill-in-the-gaps storytelling - he doesn't offer much in the way of corresponding insight regarding this social-issue case study, preferring to just construct a bare-bones stage on which his gifted performers can rage.