Beautiful Boy (2011)

That was an excellent one.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

It can be hard to evaluate a film such as this. Its striking realism is both a gift and a curse: seeing its protagonists in their naturally empty and shell-shocked state for much of the film doesn't make for entertaining viewing - nonetheless its emotional scenes pack such a weighty punch, heightened by Sheen and Bello's terrific performances, you can truly feel their agony.While the fallout from the unconscionable number of tragedies that inspired this film tends to focus mainly on the perpetrator, then on the victims and their families, "Beautiful Boy" wisely forces its audience to think about the side of the story that is rarely heard.

Another fantastic film starring Michael Sheen. As well as Maria Bello, and Kyle Gallner, both recognizable, and well-known faces in the film industry, who both also did a fantastic job.Centering around a family, who've lost touch, Beautiful Boy hits incredibly close to home for late-teen-to-mid-twenties males, as well as parents. Kyle Gallner plays a depressed College student, dorming out-of- state, away from his family, who eventually breaks down, then plans, and executes a mass shooting at his school. The film revolves around the shock, and aftershock of the event, mainly how they effect his parents, who were already on rocky roads in their marriage.A fantastic, hard hitting, dark drama, which received a miniscule 6.5 here on IMDb, when it should be at least an 8.5/10.9.0/10, for Sheen's outstanding acting, as well as Bello, and Gallner's fantastic portrayals.

I watched this film last night, two weeks after the bombing at the Boston Marathon, where some virtual bystanders are still wringing their hands about how "normal" and "sweet" Suspect #2 was. The parents are angry and either in utter denial or (at least with respect to the mother) in silent conspiracy, claiming that the brothers were framed and they could not have been terrorists. The characters and plot line in "Beautiful Boy" resemble the Sandy Hook horror even more closely. Imagine that Nancy Lanza was not killed by her son and that Peter Lanza still lived at home, unhappy and on the verge of moving out. Their anguished discussions, how they individually deal with the guilt and grief, their desperate investigation of their son's life for clues as to how and why, the blame and heartbroken accusations that they hurl at each other - - these are so spot on that the film can be uncomfortable and unnerving. The movie also masterfully captures the wide spectrum of others' reactions. The brother and sister-in-law who offer their home and as much love and sympathy as they can, but still emit occasional flashes of blame and fear for how their own son could be impacted by their presence. A young author who the wife believes is a friend, until she finds him hunting through her son's belongings for material for the book he wants to write. The open house held for the home, where media vultures, neighbors with cameras, and the thrill-seeking curious thoughtlessly devour the cookies the wife baked, hoping that they would make the house smell better. Michael Sheen and Maria Bello play the roles of husband and wife with precision and depth. Moon Bloodgood (soon to return in the upcoming "Falling Skies" season) seems somewhat dispassionate and impersonal in her interactions with others as the sister-in-law, but that is a criticism I have for most of her performances. The scene where she expresses frustration to her husband about Maria taking over control of the home comes across as rehearsed. Alan Tudyk (currently in "Suburgatory") as the brother is more sympathetic to the plight of his family, but also displays a limited range of emotion. The son, played by Kyle Gallner, is mesmerizing in his few moments of screen time, and I feel that the movie would have been much stronger if we were permitted to see a little more of his college environment and the days leading up to the shooting.However, I recognize that is the very point of the movie - - we want to understand how people make these terrible decisions, but we never can see enough evidence because ultimately there is nothing that can justify such evil. The parents, who are arguably the ones who should have the best chance of understanding their children's motivations and conduct, are often as lost and confused as the rest of the world, with the added component of trying to comprehend the degree of their own culpability. Those dynamics are nicely captured in this film.

In this nearly terrifying age where our children are growing significantly faster than we want them to, fear, anxiety, and near paranoia starts to overtake the best of parents. In America, we have witnessed, in this generation alone, some of the most evil ever conducted by mankind in all of history; the fall of the twin towers, the war in Iraq, the shooting massacre in Virginia Tech, all terrible staples in my memory and I'm not even thirty yet. What other horrors will this lifetime bring? As a new father, I want to wrap my daughter Sophia in a bubble and never let her see the light of day for fear of what she may either endure or be influenced by. Shawn Ku's Beautiful Boy examines the aftermath of a young man, Sammy, that commits a mass shooting at his school and ultimately takes his own life. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) are your average married couple. Held back by grief, guilt, and rage, Bill and Kate undertake the scrutiny from the presses and the families as the sole reasons for young Sammy's demise. How could you move on from a nightmare you couldn't wake up from? Ku takes on the story with ferocity, examining a vast subject, which perks our ears up and raises our eyebrows. Ultimately Ku fails at getting down to the emotional center of this tale. The narrative picks up rather quickly from the beginning but loses pace and theme quickly. It's not necessarily a failure on Ku's part or co-writer Michael Armbruster, simply not as evolutionary in terms of independent filmmaking. The premise is enticing enough to withstand its flaws and it does have moments of brilliance, especially in the scenes following the shooting. However, it's the powerful performances of Michael Sheen and Maria Bello that hook the viewer in and safely guide throughout. Michael Sheen delivers his finest performance since his towering work in Stephen Frears' The Queen. Sheen attacks the character unlike anything seen from him before. He is engaged and delivers the emotional peril of a heartbroken father attempting to pick up the pieces in the most magnificent ways possible. Sheen invites the viewer into his world, showing the ugliest and worst parts about him, and letting us form our own opinion. Downright brilliant. Maria Bello, who I fell in love with in David Cronenberg's A History of Violence, handles Kate with care, love, and ease. Bello's precision and dedication to the craft stands nearly on the top of most actresses today. It also equals one of her finest works in years. Her heart-on- the-sleeve approach not only allows us to respect Kate but it transforms her into a clear sign and example of masterclass acting. Where it can easily be taken over the top, Bello holds it right to the edge, never pushing us over. In a rare and personal plea, these two performances should well be on the Oscar radar. As a small and obviously personal film, Michael Sheen and Maria Bello deliver clear and cut, two of the most worthy performances of award's recognition this year. It's reminiscent of the same feeling Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams delivered in their powerful works in last year's Blue Valentine. In his briefest scenes, Kyle Gallner (Sammy) boils his performance to the rim and delivers a clever and daring performance. Beautiful Boy has raw and emotional power without falling all over itself with melodrama, but it does come up short in some narrative regards. But with these two talented actors in tow, the film will knock your socks right off in simple artistry.Read more reviews at Awards Circuit dot com.