" Ben Is Back " is the story of one day in the lives of the Burnses, during which this prodigal son will test the love of everyone who cares about him and remind audiences everywhere why. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- More than 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine. See ratings & reviews at Critics.com. Hollywood films about addiction tend to be tasteful, well-meaning awardsy dramas. Added . "Ben is Back," written and directed by Peter Hedges and starring his son, Lucas Hedges, is one of two recent films on teen addiction starring the most talented young actors of the moment (" Beautiful Boy " starred Timothee Chalamet.) Ben soon makes eye contact with a man who is presumably linked to his drug-dealing. Ben is around 20 years old (at which age I too was also . Putin's forces in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting . "One of the 50 Coolest Websitesthey simply tell it like it is" - TIME, The current economic climate has reduced our revenues. People and institutions doctors, police officers and pharmacists, as well as her kids are supposed to listen, and to accede to her wishes. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Ben Is Back ends on a note of vague hope, but its a reminder that Christmas Day is just one more opportunity to take it one day at a time. Still, she hides her jewellery at the top of the wardrobe. Another scene shows Ben running into an old friend at the mall, who exclaims that he thought he was dead. During the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family's downfall.Watch More: Coming Soon to Theaters: http://bit.ly/2mkFBqr Movie Clips: http://bit.ly/2FrP8VL Movie Trailers: http://bit.ly/2GlOAkMFuel Your Movie Obsession: Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/2CMX5D1 Watch Movieclips ORIGINALS: http://bit.ly/2D3sipV Like us on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/2DikvkY Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2mgkaHb Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/2mg0VNUThe Fandango MOVIECLIPS COMING SOON channel is home to all the movie clips, trailers, behind the scenes videos, and more from the best upcoming movies. . Holly follows in her car, finding Ben in a nearby neighborhood. Im Peter Hedges, writer and director of Ben Is Back. Ben Burns, played by Lucas Hedges, comes home unexpectedly on Christmas Eve Day. Dolly says that Ben is with her, but Ivy has installed trackers on the cell phones of the house. Recent episodes in Anatomy of a. While there, she receives a call from a man who found Ponce, driving out to retrieve him. And Ben has a secret. I dont think Ben is Back hangs together perfectly but there were times I forgot to breathe for a second or three. Holly is eager to make Bens unexpected arrival seem as normal as possible, laughing too hard at his jokes and buzzing about the kitchen in a flurry of activity. Ben has been in rehab since he nearly died after becoming hooked on painkillers resulting from a sports injury, a habit that eventually led to him selling drugs to young people in the neighborhood, incidents that neither Ben, the drug dealers, or the victim's and their families will ever forget. And then he reminds her, no, she didnt check everything. Regardless, Hedges plants all kinds of details that are meant to pay off later but fail to deliver any real impact. Ben Is Back was filmed in the state of New York, particularly in Rockland County and Westchester County. How does any addict? But the performances remain uniformly strong and hold the story together, even as it threatens to spin out of control. But she think she is. by Marc on January 17, 2019 in Connect. Dec 21, 2018. Ben goes with mother, stepdad (Courtney B. Vance) and siblings to an evening church service, at which his sister (Kathryn Newton) is the featured singer, despite an apparent inability to sing in. But even a scene set the safe space of a 12-step meeting, where Ben cracks jokes and tries to earn sympathy,comes off as disingenuous. Theres brilliant stuff here about recovery and how addiction destroys the fabric of a family. Ben is Back or is he? Not a burglar it turns out but Ben (played by the directors son Lucas Hedges), the familys oldest kid, who is back from rehab unexpectedly for the holidays. The production team supposedly lensed segments in Haywards Deli, a deli at 59 Orange Turnpike. While the director meant to keep the finale subtle, we conclude that Ben is alive. Ben Is Back Review: A Mother and Son Face the Horrors of Addiction, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/movies/ben-is-back-review.html. A young man says, "The last time I didn't help someone, they died." hockeydabeast413 live feed man in love taiwan movie why did alice leave tattoo fixers cosmetology school lawrence, ks rtgs vs pesalink. They search for Ponce together to no avail. Lucas Hedges has to work a tricky balancing act of appearing. The young actor seems to have cornered the market on playing troubled youth, but it is hard to care about his character because Hedges has no range. Shes always worried. After the emergency kit does not produce results, Dolly even traverses taboo championing reasons boundaries, giving Ben CPR. But then in the second half of Ben Is Back, it becomes a different kind of movie: a low-key thriller in which Ben and Holly are forced to run around town, revisiting his misdeeds in search of clues to a mystery. Roberts never quite disappears into her role as a sacrificial mom. And thats especially clear when he runs into people from his past. [11] The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018. Review: 'Ben Is Back' Takes A Wrong Turn Along The Way The first half is a tense, painfully real family drama about the lingering toll of opioid addiction; the second half lurches into thriller . | profanity glossary |. Consequently, they set up a base at the village center and scanned the neighborhood. Filming also went underway in Garnerville, which was formerly known as Calicotown. It was a crucial junction in the filming schedule. This time will be different. Ivy, however, is rightly suspicious of this prodigal son, and says Holly is trying too hard. Hollys parental crisis is also a social crisis. As a young man and his mother drive past houses, he points a house where he "used," and one that he robbed. View Cart . The filmmaker previously made the enjoyable and piquant holiday-themed comedy-drama, Pieces of April, about a dysfunctional family at Thanksgiving. Vance, as the skeptical stepdad, takes a thinly-written role and makes it meatier. [8] Filming began on December 5, with Courtney B. Vance joining the cast as Ben's stepfather. They are the main couple of the film series.They first meet each other at the beginning of Descendants and they later started dating and became a couple. Bens intense dynamic with his mother, Holly Burns, and the subsequent effect of his addiction on the family form the core of the drama. And the later scenes reveal that Ben has taken the drug nonetheless. I n its early scenes, Ben Is Back is more unpredictable and slyly entertaining than its earnest-sounding premise might suggest. Spencer seems drunk and in bad shape but has enough strength to knock Ben over. Abruptly leaving Dolly behind, Ben goes to Claytons place. Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review. That is both a blessing and a curse. Ben completes the mission and gets Ponce back, but Clayton also gives him some drugs in return. While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address. - About 31 F-words and its derivatives, 22 scatological terms (1 mild), 3 anatomical terms, 2 mild obscenities, name-calling (liar, phony, stupid, junkie, drug addict), exclamations (shut-up, freaking out), 4 religious profanities, 19 religious exclamations (e.g. Its been a long time. Clayton is not convinced by what Ben has to offer, and Ben has to do another job for Clayton if he wants to take Ponce back. The journey of Ben and Dolly to find the family canine, Ponce, begins at the house of Mr. Richmond, the history teacher. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released on December 7, 2018, by LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions, and Lionsgate. Ben is Back review - Julia Roberts can't save middling addiction drama Strong performances from the Oscar winner and Lucas Hedges enliven a patchy film about a mother dealing with the return of. In contrast, an episode where Holly vomits after piecing together what Ben did to get his history teachers Oxycontin is a bit much. Your local vendor is at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis this Winter. Issuu is a digital . (But were still going to focus on the sad rich, straight, young white guys.). Ben and Holly talk and talk trying to gain understanding of the situation. Shes taken him Christmas shopping so hell have appropriate clothes to wear at church that night. But shes not paying full attention. He uses the same outline here: theres a screw-up title character (Lucas Hedges, the directors son) with a suffering/domineering mother named Holly (Julia Roberts), an insufferably perfect sister named Ivy (Katherine Newton) as well as a benign-ish father (Courtney B. Vance) all hoping Ben doesnt spoil everything as he always does. Her anger at Ben dragging her (and her family) into his mess comes and goes. The Fabelmans, Babylon, Empire of Light: Why the spate of love letters to cinema? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Holly finds drugs on Ben and he claims a girl at the meeting gave them to him. Ben takes note that there are no burglars, but at the same time, Ponce is missing. That evening, the family returns home from church to find that someone has broken into their home and taken Ponce. Nevertheless, the scene falls flat and feels preachy. So when the White House dodged the issue this week, I knew I had to talk about it. And a scene between the two mothers is painful, but in a manipulative, not heartbreaking way. Ben plays noisily with his half-siblings but too noisily an edge of anxious . You can help us keep our independence with a donation. Lucas Hedges, like Timothe Chalamet in Beautiful Boy, the seasons other alliteratively titled tale of a young man fighting a drug habit, deftly captures the nuances of this condition. Ive been with you the whole time. Excuse me! The girl at the meeting. And Ben going from cocky and confident to reduced and regressing in age and fearful and apologetic You think Im an idiot. All right. What Hedges wants to do here is make you feel the dread and nausea of a parent living with a teenage addict the prickle of fear walking into his bedroom. Add to Cart . Christmas can be emotionally fraught no matter who you are or what family you grew up in, but it can be especially tricky when youre an addict, and even more so when you have a tenuous grasp on your recovery. So begins a long night of the soul as mother and son drive around Bens old stomping grounds. All at their highest rate in 40 years. He claims his sponsor thought it was a good idea for him to return home, to show how good Im doing. He then recounts a story of farts in a car that Holly thinks is hilarious. She even takes a tour of the river, where they all end up at the dead of the night. Photograph: Doane Gregory/AP These colors don't run. Helmed by Peter Hedges, the 2018 drama Ben Is Back is a refreshing and nuanced addiction movie about drugs and how they affect society. It is all calculated emotional button-pushing. The best thing that can be said about this film is that Hedges isnt going for warm and fuzzy feelings. In a fast food joint she bumps into the familys old doctor, now retired, who first prescribed Ben painkilling pills aged 14 after a minor snowboarding accident. the Oscars deepest and most dynamic race. Acclaimed director Peter Hedges (Dan In Real Life) reared the 2018 familial micro-drama movie Ben Is Back starring his son Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea). The movie takes place over one day and a long night, so there's more discussed about Ben's history of drug use than actually seen. But their journey is neither as harrowing nor as emotionally draining as the filmmaker thinks it is. Gary M . Since Mr. Richmonds wife had cancer, he could get all the prescription drugs. [10], In July 2018, LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate acquired distribution rights to the film, which they released on December 7, 2018. He blames himself for someone attempting to hurt his family. 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