← Back to results
Beautiful Boy
2018 121 min United States of America R 18+
★7.3
Drama
Director: Felix van Groeningen
📖 Based on the novel
«Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction»
byDavid Sheff
Trailers
EN
EN
Teaser
Teaser
Teaser
Teaser
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
Description
After he and his first wife separate, journalist David Sheff struggles to help their teenage son, who goes from experimenting with drugs to becoming devastatingly addicted to methamphetamine.
Budget:
$25M
US Gross:
$7.65M
Worldwide:
$31.75M
Starring
Steve Carell
Actor
Maura Tierney
Actor
Jack Dylan Grazer
Actor
Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2019
— Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe 2019
— Best Supporting Actor
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2018
— Golden Shell
BAFTA 2019
— Best Supporting Actor
Key opinion
Beautiful Boy is a deeply emotional drama that prioritizes the father-son bond over typical addiction-movie tropes, opting for a grounded, atmospheric approach rather than sensationalism. While many critics laud the powerful performances of Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell, opinions on the film's effectiveness are split due to its non-linear structure.
| Acting | Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell deliver profoundly raw and naturalistic performances that anchor the entire film. | |
| Originality | The film avoids grotesque junkie clichés and sensationalized visuals, choosing instead to focus on the quiet, painful reality of familial decay. | |
| Direction | Felix Van Groeningen’s direction effectively uses atmosphere and pacing to mirror the cyclical, exhausting nature of addiction. | |
| Editing | The non-linear, flashback-heavy structure is seen by some as an insightful way to depict how addiction shatters time, while others find it makes the emotional arc feel disjointed and repetitive. |