Director Peter Hedges Writer Peter Hedges Stars Julia Roberts Lucas Hedges Courtney B. Vance See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max with subscription More watch options Add to Watchlist 145 User reviews 162 Critic reviews 66 Metascore Awards In the end, the family home is broken into (not by Ben). But on the plus side, Ben is natural with Liam and Lacey, although his seemingly benign song conceals a neurotic outburst. A woman confronts a doctor about prescribing drugs to her son at the age of 14 and says that she hopes he dies a horrible death. Ben assures his mother that his sponsor had OK'd his return. 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 '). Ben Is Back SUBSTANCE USE - A woman puts prescription medications from a medicine cabinet in a bag and hides them in a closet, a young woman tells a young man that he was her dealer, many people using drugs stand around barrel fires and seem high, a young man delivers money to a drug dealer and returns to another dealer with drugs (the dealer tastes the drugs and gives the delivery person a . The production unit lensed several exterior scenes along Lake Avenue and Nepperhan Avenue, Central Park Avenue, and Mildred Street. While holiday shopping at the mall, Holly runs into Ben's former doctor, now an old man with dementia. A young man talks about having an arrangement with his history teacher for drugs (possible sexual activity is implied). And it works, mostly. She agrees lets him stay for 24 hours only if he does not leave her sight. Its been a long time. A drug addicted teenage boy shows up unexpectedly at his family's home on Christmas Eve. The questions his behavior creates for the people who love him are equally excruciating. Putin's forces in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting . YouBen- will immediately submit to a drug test! The storyline revolves around Ben Burns, an athlete dealing with opioid addiction. A young man says that he got a young woman hooked and we understand that she is dead. And then watching how she can, on a dime, flip from the happy mom to panicked mom and fierce mom Where did you get this? Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. GreatMartin. When Neal calls Dolly, Ben is still out of sight. A woman pounds on a fitting room door and yells obscenities at her son behind the door before they are asked to leave the store. A woman speaks to her son sternly and gives him rules for remaining home for 24 hours before returning to a rehab facility. The scene is a delight. His relationship with Julia Roberts as his mother, Holly, provides the film with its vivid heart. Theres brilliant stuff here about recovery and how addiction destroys the fabric of a family. for language throughout and some drug use. Holly follows Ponce to the barn where she finds Ben unconscious, having taken the drugs from Clayton. Alan Scherstuhl December 17, 2018 6:00AM In Ben Is Back, Julia Roberts (left) stars as Holly Burns, an ordinary woman struggling with the return of her teenage son (played by Lucas Hedges). However, later, Dolly reaches Ivy to find Bens location. The conflict is not his alone. After looking for Ben all night, Holly is overwrought and goes to a police station. Ben Is Back: Trailer 1 2:25 Added: October 11, 2018. A young man chases another young man out of a diner, he shoves him against a wall and into a pile of garbage bags and the young man on the ground gets up and punches the other young man in the face and then runs away. I dont think Ben is Back hangs together perfectly but there were times I forgot to breathe for a second or three. After pressure from her husband, she insists she will stick to Ben for the next 24 hours. Im Peter Hedges, writer and director of Ben Is Back. Ben Burns, played by Lucas Hedges, comes home unexpectedly on Christmas Eve Day. We welcome suggestions & criticisms -- and we accept compliments too. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Let us get to the ending. Theyve just come from a 12-step meeting. It enlivens a moralizing tough-love scene, as when Holly takes her son to a cemetery and asks him to pick out a burial site because he will soon be dead if he doesnt change. [6] In November, Kathryn Newton was cast as the titular Ben's sister Ivy,[7] and Alexandra Park joined as an addict Ben meets during an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. The constant push-pull between Hedges and Roberts, the see-saw of the power dynamic as each tries to navigate this thorny situation, is the most compelling element of Ben Is Back. All the demons are still there, all the memories and the things Ben cant remember. $12.49 FREE Shipping Get free shipping Free shipping within the U.S. when you order $25.00 of eligible items shipped by Amazon. All of which leaves Bens mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), in an agonizing position. Holly uses the kit and desperately tries to revive him, while sobbing for him to "come back" to her. But their journey is neither as harrowing nor as emotionally draining as the filmmaker thinks it is. The scale and depth of the horror are beyond anything she had imagined. So when the White House dodged the issue this week, I knew I had to talk about it. He then says we need gas. They start in very different places from where they end up. [Peter and Lucas Hedges never meant to make a movie together.]. You could cast a unicorn in a movie with this woman and the only thing anyone would say is, Nice horse, but did you see JULIA ROBERTS? She turns the dimmer down here a little to give a performance thats a full emotional workout. Her anger at Ben dragging her (and her family) into his mess comes and goes. The suspense is generated by a deceptively simple question, one that haunts most stories of addiction: Will Ben use again? When Ben heads out on foot to locate Ponce, Dolly thinks it is good to go with Ben. The storyline revolves around Ben Burns, an athlete dealing with opioid addiction. Therefore, the chances are that the guy who read the note called Dolly to inform Ponces location. They search for Ponce together to no avail. A young man talks about waking up with erections now that he is not using drugs. The plot follows a mother who tries to help her addict son after he returns home from rehab. Read More: Ben Is Back Ending, Explained: Is Ben Dead or Alive? Vendors are amongst the most vulnerable people affected. But part of her terror and ours, on her behalf comes from the sense that she is radically and brutally alone, and that the hundreds of thousands of parents in her situation are too. 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. That is both a blessing and a curse. He has been to rehab a few times, and his return brings more menace than peace for the family of Dolly Burns (Julia Roberts), her second husband, Neal Beeby, and the family. (She and Hedges also played siblings last year in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.) Ivy has seen too much, so she sees through everyones lieseven the well-intentioned ones from her mom. On a trip to . And the later scenes reveal that Ben has taken the drug nonetheless. Release date: Dec 07, 2018. But this is one of those rare Hollywood movies that keeps you guessing, where you dont see the ending coming 20 minutes in. Rated R Ben Is Back NYT Critic's Pick Directed by Peter Hedges Drama R 1h 43m By A.O. Recent episodes in Anatomy of a. 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. Some filming also took place in New City, a hamlet in the Clarkstown municipality. But what if she cant? The film begins when 19-year-old Ben Burns reappears in his house in Yonkers, New York, just in time for Christmas. Ben has something hes not saying. 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. We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. As they're returning home to finish Christmas Eve prep, there's an unexpected guest on the doorstep . The film opens as he returns from his stint at rehab on Christmas Eve. Located at 129 Ramapo Road, the affordable diner attracts local crowds through its sheer cooking prowess and an uncomplicated menu. Ben Is Back is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges, and starring Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges and Courtney B. Vance. Still, she hides her jewellery at the top of the wardrobe. See production, box office & company info, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Julia Roberts/Patrick Wilson. The disease of addiction can afflict anyone, anywhere, Hedges reminds us, just as Beautiful Boy did earlier this year. Technically, the film is a two-hander. Bens sister, Ivy (Kathryn Newton), wants him gone. Image Credit: Mark Schafer/BBP West BIB, LLC, Ben Burns, an athlete dealing with opioid addiction. A young man twitches and complains of being sick as he pleads for money so he can buy drugs. The elder Hedges needs to make amends. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. (But were still going to focus on the sad rich, straight, young white guys.). Hi. Gary M . Ben Is Back was filmed in the state of New York, particularly in Rockland County and Westchester County. 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. The maternal side of Holly tells Ivy and Ben that he may stay for Christmas before going back to rehab, but-. Ivy, however, is rightly suspicious of this prodigal son, and says Holly is trying too hard. In the nocturnal adventure, Ben visits the places of guilt to find a resolution for the present discontent. Shes going to get clothes for him. Ben owes Clayton a great deal of money since he takes a wad of cash and Dollys expensive necklace to make it square. The hometown is mundane and suburban, but the camera looks for an exit from nature, reinforcing the fostering image. The unit lensed scenes in St Johns Episcopal Church in Larchmont at 4 West Fountain Square. Whereas it appears that a few shots were recorded outside the strip mall as well as the Haas Pharmacy at 62 Orange Turnpike. They start in very different places from where they end up. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts. Will he be dead on the floor with a needle sticking out of his arm? Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Ben sees his childhood friend, Spencer, also a drug addict. A young man says, "You're still scared of me," to his family. 19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Shes always worried. Ben is also not confident in himself and his sponsor asked him not to return home in the first place since there are too many triggers. Just as his performance in Boy Erased failed to convince he was struggling with his sexuality, Hedges never seems to be truly fighting addiction here. A young man smokes from a vaping device in a few scenes (outside and in a car). Theres this dangerous something coursing through him. The hamlet in the town of Haverstraw features in several scenes, a highlighted location being Sparkys Diner. 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. hockeydabeast413 live feed man in love taiwan movie why did alice leave tattoo fixers cosmetology school lawrence, ks rtgs vs pesalink. The crew filmed some scenes in Sloatsburg, a village in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County. Additional filming went underway at the Super Seven convenience store, located at 75 Orange Turnpike in Sloatsburg. 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. 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. Furious, she takes him to the cemetery, asking him where he would like to be buried. 1. While the director meant to keep the finale subtle, we conclude that Ben is alive. Ben Is Back also traverses the same territory as the recent, better drama, Beautiful Boy, about a young mans addiction and the impact it had on his father and family. If anyone can solve Bens problems can bring Ben back to the sweet, smart, decent boy he used to be its surely his mom. A young man talks about people in a car flatulating repeatedly. It is almost laughable to watch Julia Roberts wandering around a site full of addicts on a dark winter night searching for her child. Ben introduced Maggie to the drug, which seems to cause some amount of guilt in Bens mind. For the time, Ben only wants the dog back. A young man says that his mother found him upside down on the stairs with a needle in his arm and that his dog was trying to keep him awake. The production team supposedly lensed segments in Haywards Deli, a deli at 59 Orange Turnpike. Shortly after Neal and Holly argue over Ben's arrival, there's a scene focusing on Ben's interaction with his young siblings. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed and a mother's undying love . Lopez, who turned 52 on Saturday, posted the steamy picture as part of a series of photos in which she donned a printed string bikini, marking her birthday. As for Ben, hes 77 days clean. The rest of Ben Is Back, written and directed by Peter Hedges (father of Lucas), sustains and intensifies that clammy, anxious feeling. Later still, Dolly and Ben go garment shopping, and seeing Ben in possession of the drug, the guards throw them out of the mall. Issuu is a digital . And hes with his mother Holly, played by Julia Roberts. Ben, an addict 77 days sober arrives back at the family home unexpectedly. Leaving Holly stranded at a gas station, he goes to meet Clayton. Ben concocts that he took the drug from the girl at the meeting, but he later comes clean that he found the bit in the attic room. With the bathroom door opened- despite his protest. This time will be different. This is supposed to be such a joyous timethe most wonderful time of the year, evenbut expectations and regrets can serve as triggers, adding to the anxiety of the season. Suburban shopping mall parking lots are magical places. The website's critics consensus reads, "Refreshingly understated, Ben Is Back subverts family drama stereotypes - and provides a forum for terrific performances from Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts. He is entirely credible as an almost-grown man whose credibility has virtually collapsed, who is in a constant state of war with himself. The film highlights many shades of Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges central roles, Holly and Ben. But hes also apprehensive about going into certain rooms in the houselike the attic, where he used to stash his drugsfor fear of the memories theyll conjure. In the place, Dolly finds Ben almost dead. Even after the menacing, hooded figure skulking around near the driveway is recognized as a son and brother (played by Lucas Hedges), the queasy feeling of terror doesnt quite abate. And thats especially clear when he runs into people from his past. Bens intense dynamic with his mother, Holly Burns, and the subsequent effect of his addiction on the family form the core of the drama. 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). new video loaded: Ben Is Back | Anatomy of a Scene, Hi. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. FILTER by RATINGS Ben (Lucas Hedges) has no father and has turned to overdependence on prescription medication. Parents need to know that Ben Is Back is a drama that centers on the United States' opioid epidemic. New & Used (35) from $3.78 + $3.99 shipping. 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. Spencer shows up and, after a tussle, he confirms that Clayton, a drug dealer he used to work for, took Ponce. he locks himself in a mall fitting room. Realizing it is to do with him, Ben leaves the house to find him. Holly sees Ben standing on the porch on her way back from the church with children Liam, Lacey, and Ivy. Dolly gets nervous, and Neals worries trouble her more since she wants to give Ben a chance. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Surprises? His stepfather, Neal (Courtney B. 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