Review | Beautiful Boy film review: Timothée Chalamet, Steve Carell in grim addiction drama
- Felix Van Groeningen’s film is based on the separate memoirs of a teenage crystal meth addict and his loving father
- Chalamet and Carell both give insightful, emotional performances
3.5/5 stars
Directed by Belgium’s Felix Van Groeningen ( The Broken Circle Breakdown ), this story about a teenager’s addiction doesn’t shirk from showing two lesser known facts about drug use. The first is that addicts can enjoy their addiction and like the drugs. The second is that no matter how much effort is expended, it is almost impossible to stop them taking drugs if they don’t want to stop themselves.
Although Beautiful Boy, based on the separate memoirs of an addict and his father, tones down the horrors of drug addiction – it veers away from showing its physically disgusting, brutal side – it never tries to pacify viewers about the causes of addiction and how love and care can cure it. The drug itself is the enemy throughout, and it is an invincible opponent.
David Sheff (Steve Carell) is a thoughtful middle-class father who is shocked when he discovers his son Nic (Timothée Chalamet) is addicted to crystal meth, a life-destroying drug. Nic has been showered with affection throughout his life, and David feels that they have always been close.
David pays for his son to enter rehab a number of times, but Nic’s desire for the drug means that he always walks out on his treatment. David realises that he can’t stop his son’s addiction, and ceases trying for a while.
