One of the many fun things I was able to do over the holiday break was take my mom to see the new movie "Ben Is Back" starring Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges. Hedges plays Ben, a young addict who struggles with trying to obtain long-term sobriety. Much to the surprise of his family, Ben comes home for Christmas. Ben's mother, played by Roberts, seems to be the only one that is pleasantly surprised. Others, like Ben's sister (played by Kathryn Newton) and Ben's stepfather (played by Courtney Vance), aren't as happy. They aren't buying Ben's story that he was given the approval by his sponsor and obtained a pass from sober living to come home. They believe that this is too soon and he is putting himself at risk to be surrounded by triggers during the holiday. While Ben's mother chooses to believe Ben, a series of unfortunate events begin to happen that cause her to start doubting on whether or not her son is telling the truth. The story ends with a less-than happy ending, but I wouldn't call it a "sad" ending. Translate that however you decide.
Julia Roberts does a PHENOMENAL job of playing Ben's Mother, Holly. She has that perfect combination of heartfelt trust bordering on naiveté, compassion bordering on enabling, strong motherhood but toeing that line of crumbling weakness. Even though his name is in the title, Hedges' performance as Ben takes a backseat to Roberts. This movie is more about her than it is about him. How does a mother handle a struggling addict son who is spiraling towards almost certain death? Don't get me wrong though, Hedges did a fantastic job as well. He had this ability to portray this multi-leveled performance? Is he lying, being deceptive or manipulative? Is he someone who is truly struggling to achieve sobriety? Or is it all just an act? I initially approached his character as lying from the very beginning, but by the end of the movie... I truly believe that he was an addict that was trying his best... he just wasn't listening to what advice other people had to give to him. He was living in his own head.
Although it was difficult to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I found Hedges' portrayal of someone living in addiction to be pretty dang accurate. Mom found Roberts' portrayal of the mother of an addict to be very accurate. The phrases and conversations were spot-on and easy to identify. The events of the movie were incredibly heart-wrenching because I sat there, time after time, and thought to myself "yup, I've totally done these things to my family." The movie would probably have a rough time reaching those who don't have some sort of experience with addiction or a loved one in addiction. As I reflect on the movie, the main thing I'm not satisfied with is the ending. There really isn't a whole lot I want to say, because I don't want to ruin it, but it just wasn't... enough. Talk to me after you've seen it and we can discuss.
I, surprisingly, held it together for most of the film. There were only a few parts during the movie that I felt that lump in my throat, but I managed to keep my composure. After the credits started rolling and the lights came up, Mom looked at me... and then it hit me. I couldn't talk for about a minute, because it just would've exploded I'm afraid. We left the theater and had a sweet hug in the lobby. We realized we had gone through pretty much the same story, but realized that we are some of the lucky ones. I'm that rare exception. One of the few that is making it. I've found the answer and keep working towards it every day.
So, all in all, I give the movie a solid... 7.5 out of 10.
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