Ben Is Back – Film Review

Nineteen-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns to his family’s suburban home on Christmas Eve. Ben’s mom, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son’s drug addiction. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother’s undying love gets put to the test as Holly does everything in her power to keep Ben clean.

There’s a certain sense of grimy unforgivingness to Ben Is Back that’s nearly impossible to shake throughout its admittedly short running time. What screenwriter and director Peter Hedges was able to do with this story is seriously impressive. While the premise may seem incredibly simple and barebones, at its core, it’s a movie about the strength and bond between a son and a mother, with the latter wanting to do absolutely everything to ensure that her son is okay.

You get the sense that Ben is a normal, kindhearted guy who simply walked down some wrong paths in life and is trying to bounce back from all of that, even if it’s extremely difficult for him. His mother is really the only person in his life that would die for him and go to Hell and back to ensure his safety.

His sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) is quite uncomfortable around him and Ben’s stepfather Neal isn’t too close to him either. Despite this, though, he still loves all of these people and wants to make sure that he can get healthy again in order to actually spend time with his family and get close with him. He wants to feel like he truly belongs again, and he’s willing to commit.

Unfortunately for him though, some seriously big problems arise that lead him down a dangerous path once more. This is a honest, moving, and emotionally charged movie that shows you just how depressing someone’s life can be while recovering from drug use.

It’s not the kind of movie that can be considered “uplifting” or “inspiring” either because it’s one that’s deeply rooted in sorrow and loneliness. This is the kind of movie that will make you never want to go near a single drug for the rest of your life. Watching Ben’s life unfold the way it does is seriously heartbreaking.

All of the performances here are absolutely stellar, but namely from Lucas Hedges, who feels totally real and grounded in the shoes of Ben Burns. Hedges used to be a Hollywood staple in the late 2010s, and I’m not exactly sure why we never hear from him again because he’s incredibly talented.

Julia Roberts also dazzles as Holly, Ben’s mother who will stop at nothing to make sure that he gets the help that he so desperately needs. Everybody onboard this project definitely brought their A-game and acted their hearts out and it shows in every single scene.

This is definitely not an easy movie to watch – even if you can’t relate to anything that’s going on in the story – but it’s one that I’m so glad got made because it’s so incredibly powerful in every way. It may be paced a bit strangely and its ending is rather abrupt, but it’s still quite incredible.

Ben Is Back is an emotional gut punch of a movie fueled with tons of empathy, boosted by two strong performances by Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges.