‘Beautiful Boy’ Film Review: Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell Shine in Harrowing Look at Addiction
Belgian director Felix van Groeningen is not a man for half measures. He makes big, sprawling, emotional films, and the latest example is “Beautiful Boy,” which had its world premiere at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The film is adapted from the twin memoirs by veteran journalist David Sheff and his son Nic, both of whom documented the drug addiction that gripped Nic in his teenage years and nearly destroyed the family.
Van Groeningen may not be an obvious choice for a drama set mostly in California, but he has definitely demonstrated an aplomb with stories of family calamity — and “Beautiful Boy” is family calamity writ large, a harrowing and horrifying exploration of the depths of addiction.
Also Read: 'The Kindergarten Teacher' Film Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal Blurs Boundaries as an Art-Obsessed Educator
It’s completely different in subject matter, but not dissimilar in approach to Van Groeningen’s best known movie,...
The film is adapted from the twin memoirs by veteran journalist David Sheff and his son Nic, both of whom documented the drug addiction that gripped Nic in his teenage years and nearly destroyed the family.
Van Groeningen may not be an obvious choice for a drama set mostly in California, but he has definitely demonstrated an aplomb with stories of family calamity — and “Beautiful Boy” is family calamity writ large, a harrowing and horrifying exploration of the depths of addiction.
Also Read: 'The Kindergarten Teacher' Film Review: Maggie Gyllenhaal Blurs Boundaries as an Art-Obsessed Educator
It’s completely different in subject matter, but not dissimilar in approach to Van Groeningen’s best known movie,...
- 10/10/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
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