Beautiful Boy: A Cinematic Masterpiece

It is hard not to be touched by the testing of paternal love, or by Nic’s fragility. But “Beautiful Boy,” rather than plumbing the hard emotional depths of its subject, skates on a surface of sentiment and gauzy visual beauty. -- A.O. Scott

What Is Beautiful Boy About?

Beautiful Boy, a 2018 drama film, follows a dad as his son falls deeper and deeper into drug addiction. The movie stars Steve Carell as the dad, and Timothee Chalamet as his son. The film has a unique plot line, switching back and forth between the past and present, which helped me really feel what connection the father and son once had, and how the dad was grieving his son who was still alive. 

Beautiful Boy did a wonderful job at showing the effects drug addiction has on a person, as well as the people in the person's life. Timothee, or Nic, in the movie, is only 18 when he goes to rehab for the first time, and as the movie progresses you watch as he battles addiction, as well as how his dad tries to help but ultimately is forced to give up on him.  

The Film's Success

Timothee as Nic Sheff in the film

The film was nominated for six different awards, including one Golden Globe nomination for Chalamet; however, to my surprise, the film did not win any major awards. Despite the fact the movie had two major stars in it, it was not a box office success, only grossing about $16 million, falling short of $9 million dollars spent on the film’s budget. 

My Thoughts and Feelings on the Film

I had been wanting to watch this movie for a long time, after seeing people talk about it on Tik Tok, and I am a big Timothee Chalamet fan. This weekend I saw it was free on Prime Video and finally got to watch it. I thought it was an amazing movie, and I really felt a connection with the dad, played by Steve Carell. The acting was incredible, and the cinematography was the best I had seen in a long time. I would not watch this movie if you are looking for something happy, because the plot has little to no cheery moments, but it does throw off watchers with the ending. My dad is Chief Public Defender for Rock Island County, so I hear a lot about drug abuse through him, although I never actually am exposed to it. This movie really demonstrated what it does to a person, both mentally and physically, and it made me more aware of this big issue we have in our country. This movie honestly gave me a lot of empathy for people struggling with drug abuse, because it shows that it is not a choice, but rather a disease of the mind. 

I feel like my words are not enough to do this movie justice. I have not been able to get this movie off my mind since I watched it this past Saturday. If you get a chance I highly recommend watching this movie, and hopefully it leaves the impact on you that it left on me.