Beautiful Boy
A father’s fierce love is tested by his son’s recurring addiction in a fragmented, deeply affecting family drama.
Overview
A poignant exploration of a family's struggle against the grip of addiction and the hope of recovery.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- heartbreaking
- melancholic
- earnest
- reflective evening
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film earnest and powerful, with Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet delivering strong performances despite a nonlinear structure and overextended pacing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
David Sheff’s efforts to support Nic while coping with repeated relapses drive the film’s emotional and domestic conflicts.
The film moves nonlinearly across Nic’s addiction, rehabilitation, relapses, and periods of family life.
The screenplay draws on David Sheff’s Beautiful Boy and Nic Sheff’s Tweak, giving the father and son’s viewpoints complementary narrative importance.
The film portrays addiction, relapse, and family anguish through intimate performances and subdued dramatic framing rather than genre sensationalism.
Films like Beautiful Boy, and why
The Lost Weekend
shared addiction drama, father son relationship, and emotionally intense family conflict
Ben Is Back
shared biographical drama, substance abuse, and intimate parent child relationship
Rachel Getting Married
shared addiction recovery narrative, family strain, and acclaimed lead performances
The Pursuit of Happyness
shared heartfelt biographical drama, personal crisis, and father son relationship
Movie Details
- Director
- Felix van Groeningen
- Release Date
- 2018-10-12
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (2972)
Cast
- Steve Carell
- Timothée Chalamet
- Maura Tierney
- Amy Ryan
- Christian Convery
- Oakley Bull
- Kaitlyn Dever
- Stefanie Scott
- Julian Works
- Jack Dylan Grazer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Beautiful Boy about?
- A father’s fierce love is tested by his son’s recurring addiction in a fragmented, deeply affecting family drama.
- What is Beautiful Boy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Beautiful Boy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Beautiful Boy violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Beautiful Boy.
- What did critics think of Beautiful Boy?
- Critics broadly found the film earnest and powerful, with Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet delivering strong performances despite a nonlinear structure and overextended pacing.
- Which films are like Beautiful Boy?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lost Weekend, Ben Is Back, Rachel Getting Married, and The Pursuit of Happyness.
- How long is Beautiful Boy?
- Beautiful Boy runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Beautiful Boy?
- In United States, Beautiful Boy streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
