Ben is Back is a drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges (Pieces Of April, Dan in Real Life, The Odd Life of Timothy Green). Starring Julia Roberts. and Lucas Hedges (the latter of whom is the son of the writer/director), it is a straightforward yet poignant tale of a mother's undying love and support for her son.
On Christmas Eve, Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) arrives home to discover her drug addicted son Ben (Lucas Hedges) waiting for her in the driveway. Surprised that he has left rehab so soon, Holly learns from Ben that his sponsor told him that a trip home for Christmas would do him well. While initially hesitant, Holly eventually accepts this explanation and welcomes Ben back into the family, under the condition he never leaves her sight for the following 24 hours.
Well-acted and frequently emotional, Ben is Back offers a down-to-earth approach to drug addiction, showcasing the long term effects it can have on someone's friends and family. The almost documentarian perspective director Peter Hedges adopts for this film successfully grounds it in reality, allowing room for its lead characters to develop into three-dimensional beings. Both Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges give excellent performances as mother and son. Roberts in particular should strike a chord with any concerned mother while Hedges should make recovering drug addicts yearn for a loving parent to offer them comfort. However, the remainder of the film's supporting cast felt underused, with the exception of Ben's sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) who had some nice moments, and the plot does tend to feel like an overly long anti-drug PSA at times. Even though these might seem trivial, it becomes noticeable during certain scenes that could have done with more hard-hitting drama. Despite that, this film is certainly worth seeing for the great acting alone.
I rate it 7.5/10
On Christmas Eve, Holly Burns (Julia Roberts) arrives home to discover her drug addicted son Ben (Lucas Hedges) waiting for her in the driveway. Surprised that he has left rehab so soon, Holly learns from Ben that his sponsor told him that a trip home for Christmas would do him well. While initially hesitant, Holly eventually accepts this explanation and welcomes Ben back into the family, under the condition he never leaves her sight for the following 24 hours.
Well-acted and frequently emotional, Ben is Back offers a down-to-earth approach to drug addiction, showcasing the long term effects it can have on someone's friends and family. The almost documentarian perspective director Peter Hedges adopts for this film successfully grounds it in reality, allowing room for its lead characters to develop into three-dimensional beings. Both Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges give excellent performances as mother and son. Roberts in particular should strike a chord with any concerned mother while Hedges should make recovering drug addicts yearn for a loving parent to offer them comfort. However, the remainder of the film's supporting cast felt underused, with the exception of Ben's sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) who had some nice moments, and the plot does tend to feel like an overly long anti-drug PSA at times. Even though these might seem trivial, it becomes noticeable during certain scenes that could have done with more hard-hitting drama. Despite that, this film is certainly worth seeing for the great acting alone.
I rate it 7.5/10