By Liz Lopez
Rating: B
“Beautiful Boy” is a terrifyingly real look at what addiction looks like in an intelligent, educated young man who seemingly has no reason to live that life. But he does. This drama is an adaptation of two memoirs by writer David Sheff and his son, Nic, who lived a very hard life on drugs at a very young age, including pot, pills, heroin, and meth. Nic is very loved and lived a more than comfortable life, yet his path of addiction and recovery is gut-wrenching as it unfolds on the big screen. We not only see his difficulties, but that of his devoted father who repeatedly tried to help him. Starring Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”) as David and Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name”) as Nic, their performances provide a realistic look at how fast this young man quickly plunged into a life of addiction and the multiple efforts by a devoted father to redirect him. What is horrifying about this story is that it is true and can happen – in fact it does happen – to so many people in our society. Oscar nominees Carell and Chalamet are phenomenal together portraying a loving father and son. The difficult, yet very necessary scenes are those of David having to say no. It may sound simple on paper, but it is a powerful moment.