Beautiful Boy (2018) | Rotten Tomatoes

Beautiful Boy

R

Released Nov 2, 2018

1h 52m

Biography

Drama

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68%

Tomatometer

266 Reviews

78%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Teenager Nicolas Sheff seems to have it all -- good grades, editor of the school newspaper, actor, artist and athlete. When Nic's addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his desperate father does whatever he can to save his son and his family.

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Critics Consensus

Beautiful Boy sees Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell delivering showcase work that's often powerful enough to make up for the story's muted emotional impact.

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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I would be lying if I didn't say that I found it moving.

Jan 29, 2019

Full Review

Ryan Gilbey

New Statesman

Beautiful Boy has a remorseless emotional integrity... It is frustrating, repetitive and inconclusive, and all the more admirable for it.

Jan 26, 2019

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

I loved watching it. It's fantastically enjoyable.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 20, 2019

Full Review

Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

Maybe it was the talent behind the camera that brought it down, but we will never know if someone with a little more of a focused eye and pen could have done with the Sheff's story.

Rated: D-

Apr 3, 2024

Full Review

Karen Gordon

Original Cin

Chalamet conveys all of the necessary contradictory emotions to portray an addict, paradoxically both in love with, and repulsed by, his own tendencies and actions. It's bravura work.

Rated: B+

May 2, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Beautiful Boy” is a heartbreaking father/son story based on the memoirs of author David Sheff and his son Nic.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 19, 2022

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Dylan S

I have nothing critical to say about this movie, only glowing adoration for the care that was put forth into every shot, every musical choice, and every bit of dialogue. It is a truly heart wrenching movie which is what it should be given the topic it is exploring. The perofrmances are top notch and even the characters that perform unstomachable acts are genuinely likeable people and you are rooting for them all to succeed regardless of how many times they may blunder, or how badly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/07/24

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s a

one of my favs no explanation needed

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/03/24

Full Review

Leti A

It's a marvelous movie and though it gets a bit annoying with how much it repeats itself that just makes it even more realistic. It also shows how hard it is for not only those dealing with an addiction but also for family and friends of people who have addictions. Timothee Chalamet yet again is perfect for his part and does a truly fantastic job.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

Igor S

Although very repetitive, the movie does a good job at portraying how some addicts behave: the manipulation, the lies, and even self-lies; the despair and feeling of walking towards the abyss but not being able to stop it. And also, how parents feel in these situations. Having dealt with many drug addicts and alcoholics my whole life, i can say that Timothée Chalamet's acting in this is off fhe charts here. Just small movements and looks portray so well the tornado of emotions his character is going through. As i mentioned, the movie becomes very repetitive, but often times, in real life, that is exactly how these cases go: a constant, repetitive offering of help and effort from family members, followed by constant, repetitive "start overs", relapses, suffering, disappointment, lies, manipulation, and ultimately, feeling of being powerless in the face of such a destructive thing as substance addiction.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

Neil S

I regularly Youtube moment from this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

Full Review

chitown2bayarea

Good movie but definitely could've expanded on the characters more, especially Timothy. Nevertheless it was a very inspirational true story and I would recommend it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/24

Full Review

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Felix van Groeningen

Director

Steve Carell

David Sheff

Timothée Chalamet

Nic Sheff

Maura Tierney

Karen Barbour

Amy Ryan

Vicki

Timothy Hutton

Dr. Brown

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76%

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Beautiful Boy: Exclusive Interview

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Beautiful Boy: Trailer 2

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Beautiful Boy: Trailer 1

2:24

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Synopsis

Teenager Nicolas Sheff seems to have it all -- good grades, editor of the school newspaper, actor, artist and athlete. When Nic's addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his desperate father does whatever he can to save his son and his family.

Director: Felix van Groeningen
Producer: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Screenwriter: Luke Davies, Felix van Groeningen
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: Plan B Entertainment
Rating: R (Drug Content Throughout|Brief Sexual Material|Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.6M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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