ReelBob: ‘Ben Is Back’ ★½
By Bob Bloom
“Ben Is Back” will leave you angry because its potential is undermined by lazy script writing and inconsistent characterizations.
The movie, written and directed by Peter Hedges, looks at the impact of opioid addiction on one family.
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased,” “Manchester by the Sea”), also the son of the director, stars as the title character.
Ben, who has been in rehab for his addiction, surprises his family by coming home for Christmas.
His unexpected arrival throws the family into upheaval. His mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), is both happy and panicked. She embraces hers on, begins chatting nervously with him, then runs around the house, hiding all the prescription medication as well as her jewelry.
The first several minutes of the movie, which concentrate on Ben’s interactions with his younger sister, Ivy (Kathryn Newton), and stepsiblings, as well as his stepfather, Neal (Courtney B. Vance), are the most interesting.
The tension in the house is very palatable, especially among the parents, Ben and Ivy. All seem to be walking on eggshells and are very self-conscious of what they say and how they say it.
Ben continually tries to put everyone at ease, reassuring them that his sponsor gave him permission to visit.
“Ben Is Back” makes an unnecessary swing into turgid melodrama after the family comes home from a Christmas pageant, finds the house has been broken into and the beloved pet dog is missing.
Ben knows the break-in was perpetrated by someone from his past. He’s not sure of who, though.
Thus begins a cliched night of searching through town — and Ben’s past — to find the culprit and the dog — as Ben and Holly — who refuses to leave his side for fear he will regress — drive from site to site, seeking clues and information.
Some of the people Ben confront are basically props — like the former history teacher who used to give him OxyContin in exchange for certain favors hint, hint.
This part of the movie raises more questions than it answers. And the biggest problem is that writer-director Hedges fails to offer adequate solutions.
“Ben Is Back” devolves more and more as the search continues. Holly’s discomfort and panic escalate, forcing Ben to abandon her, which makes her more frantic — to the point that she does something so out-of-character that it shreds the last vestiges of respect that you had for the movie.
The performance of Lucas Hedges is the glue that cements the film. He tries to hold it together, acting calm most of the time, but also revealing the craving that continues to pull at him.
He feels torn and guilty, especially at what he has put his family and friends through.
Roberts jumps all over the place. The script presents her character as very erratic — smiling and happy, then barking and verbally lashing out.
Some of her actions go against everything she has said and done earlier in the movie. Her motives seem more like a plot device than a mother motivated at protecting her son at all costs.
“Ben Is Back” is one of those could-have-been movies. If filmmaker Hedges had put more effort and thought into his script, “Ben Is Back” could have been a powerful drama about the insidiousness of dependence.
The movie lacks the heart and insight of “Beautiful Boy,” which also featured parents battling to save a son from addiction.
“Ben Is Back” fails because the elder Hedges decided to travel the conventional route — putting commercialism ahead of truth and perception.
Despite the vulnerable turn by the younger Hedges, “Ben Is Back” is a major disappointment that will leave you saddened at its wasted possibilities.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
BEN IS BACK
1½ stars out of 4
(R), drug use, language, violence