Beautiful Boy (2018)

A father (Steve Carell) must cope with the drug addiction of his son (Timothee Chalamet) and watch helplessly as his son spirals to the lowest depths. Based on two separate memoirs by David Sheff (played by Carell) and Nic Sheff (played by Chalamet) and directed by Felix Van Groeningen in his English language feature film debut. Held together by powerful performances by Carell and especially Chalamet, the film suffers from a sense of deja vu. Ever since the startling (for its day) THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM in 1955, drug addiction has been a constant fountain for Hollywood movies. While BEAUTIFUL BOY doesn't give us anything fresh or new on the subject, it's still a harrowing film. How can it not be? Fortunately the immaculate performances by Carell and Chalamet with strong assistance by Maura Tierney as Carell's current wife and Amy Ryan as his first wife take center stage and pull you in. But how many more movies can we take watching people shooting up, throwing up and giving up? Yes, it's based on a true story but even real life can be commonplace. See it for the acting but don't expect any profundity. With Timothy Hutton, Kaitlyn Dever and LisaGay Hamilton who only has one small scene but it's a killer.