Beautiful Boy
After their college-age son commits a horrific school massacre and kills himself, an estranged couple must endure public condemnation while finding a way to live with irreparable grief.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- devastating
- restrained
- serious movie night
- reflective viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Maria Bello and Michael Sheen’s understated performances while finding the storytelling too melodramatic and insufficiently dramatic.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bill and Kate are treated as monsters by the media and people around them because their son committed a school massacre.
The story centers on the parents’ grief, isolation, and attempts to continue living rather than dramatizing the massacre itself.
Bill and Kate begin in an emotionless marriage, but their son’s crime forces them to confront grief together and recognize their mutual dependence.
The parents struggle with their son’s actions, suicide, and the absence of reasons that could make the tragedy comprehensible.
Films like Beautiful Boy, and why
Rabbit Hole
shared focus on marital fracture, grief, and emotionally restrained performances after devastating family trauma
Blue Valentine
shared domestic realism, relationship disintegration, and intimate treatment of grief without sensational spectacle
We Need to Talk About Kevin
shared exploration of parental guilt, public judgment, and moral responsibility after a child’s destructive actions
The Son's Room
shared somber family drama centered on bereavement, estrangement, and the difficult continuation of ordinary life
Movie Details
- Director
- Shawn Ku
- Release Date
- 2011-06-03
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (111)
Cast
- Maria Bello
- Michael Sheen
- Alan Tudyk
- Moon Bloodgood
- Kyle Gallner
- Austin Nichols
- Meat Loaf
- Bruce French
- Deidrie Henry
- Jessie T. Usher
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Beautiful Boy about?
- After their college-age son commits a horrific school massacre and kills himself, an estranged couple must endure public condemnation while finding a way to live with irreparable grief.
- 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?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Beautiful Boy as moderate.
- What did critics think of Beautiful Boy?
- Critics broadly praised Maria Bello and Michael Sheen’s understated performances while finding the storytelling too melodramatic and insufficiently dramatic.
- Which films are like Beautiful Boy?
- Films with a similar feel include Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and The Son's Room.
- How long is Beautiful Boy?
- Beautiful Boy runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch Beautiful Boy?
- In United States, Beautiful Boy streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
