In the actor's round table Timothée said they deliberately didn't show the cause because they wanted to say that the cause is less important than the fact that he already is addicted and his struggle to overcome it. They didn't want a justification. The mother seems like a really great person and was definitely misrepresented.
Yes, but telling us why helps the viewer understand the character's motives and the reason behind his choice to relapse (I know that it's not always a "choice" but when he relapsed after a long time of recovery it tells us that something is wrong and it begs the question of "why?"). That way we're not confused as to the choices the character makes throughout the movie.
I agree. When I was in therapy for smth my therapist told me that they don't try to understand why it happened, they just focus on what they can do about it.
@@LetMeExplain I respect where your critique from a movie reviewer is coming from, but having read both memoirs and experiencing addiction and recovery, this movie and especially Timotheé's performance evoke a very honest interpretation of an individual's journey through this process. Liberties were certainly taken but truths were definitely told and for that, this film should be acclaimed.
Tf lady? Timmy isn’t only a great actor who can take any character you throw at him, but a fine ass lookin’ man too. Now you go ahead and you change that comment to 1,000,000,000 :)
I don’t think Steve carrel played a perfect father. I thought he lost his temper a whole bunch of times, he just didn’t know how to help his son and would get angry with him until later on he tried to understand him at the diner and then just gave up. The point of the movie is not about exactly why he got addicted, this has been explained in interviews. It’s not always something so plain and simple and easy as to just pinpoint, sometimes it happens and there’s no clear reason why. The movie wasn’t aiming to say he got into drugs because of this, but rather to explore the mentality and emotions that surrounded his addiction. I’ve had a similar experience that the character has, mainly with alcohol and smaller drugs. So i could understand where the character was coming from. My life isn’t necessarily bad, in fact it’s quite good. It’s not like you get into these addictions because of something so big or obvious. Sometimes it’s things like insecurity, feelings of loneliness, etc. which may not seem like great reasons but they can greatly affect a person. Well it did for me. Oh man I feel you though with the whole mom character. I hate that they did that. Cause it seemed like they tried really hard to resonate and respect the father and son interpretations. Guess they didn’t care enough to take into consideration the mom’s role
Freddy Toloni Keep in mind he didn’t create the script. Just trying to do his job, but I agree. He isn’t fit to be the i-care-father. He acted nicely though!
There were enough suggestions in the movie to show how the father was NOT perfect, but he struggled honestly to understand and help, but often fell short. I feel I watched a different performance from Let Me Explain. Totally agree with your other points. The focus of the movie was never the why, but the what, and it did a great job. We don't need to have all the i's dotted or the t's crossed in order to understand the pain of the situation.
Couldn’t agree more. Very well said. I truly loved this movie except for how the mother was portrayed. But yet again they only have so much time in a movie so in the long run, it made sense for her to be just a side character written with little arc
I had an addiction to oxy, it really just started because I took more than I should. I was prescribed by it from doctors. Plus my mom warned me that those pills are highly addicting. And well I didn’t listen and when I had that hit, after that day. A lot changed for me. My body craved it. I’m not on it anymore, and I refuse to be near it because I know that if I take oxy / percs. I would go down that dark path again. I’m glad that In the movie they showed that one scene where he takes a pill, and drugs himself up. It hit home for me. But you can see if an addict is near their choice of drug even though they “recovered” they can go back to it at any time. It’s both a physical and psychological thing.
Loneliness is something huge emotionaly. Your life isn't amazing if you feel imsecure and lonely all the time.... Im sorry to her what you had been through but please don't feel ungrateful for coping with lonely with substances like that. The life your parents gave you and your life are two separate things, you were trying to build yours and that is really hard without the emotional support.
@@warpnl1 I actually know people who got addicted that way. They just liked how it made them feel. It had nothing to do with having a bad past or some big trauma.
@@theluckypoptart2945 That's a big assumption that your friends' past experiences, worldviews, and potential genetic predispositions aren't factored in to the equation. People don't exist in a vacuum. -Therapist and Substance Use Counselor
@@astillianmike I was saying that not everyone has to have something traumatic happen to them to become addicts. I'm literally saying not everyone is the same or reactions to things the same way. Not everyone is hiding from problems. They just liked how it made them feel. Some are self medicating. Where am I making assumptions that there is no reason? I'm just saying it's not always the stereotypical reasons that people think of.
@@theluckypoptart2945 hey you should check out this TED talk by Johann Hari called "Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong" it talks about what you guys are discussing and its actually very interesting and explains what you're saying
my twin brother is an addict. we lived a good life, we had a good childhood and loving family. we have a beautiful loving mother who’d do anything for us. it wasn’t a perfect childhood because there’s no such thing. but it was a good one. addiction does NOT need a reason and it does NOT discriminate. rich privileged young men get caught up in addiction and it’d be easy to argue that they had no reason to seek out drugs as their lives seem “perfect”. it does. not. matter. you can live an amazing life and get caught up in addiction. once you stop focusing on the cause you can focus on the most important thing, which is how you’re going to help an addict through their situation. you don’t need a reason to be an addict. 🤷🏽♀️
najah qamar I second this. I’m an addict (in recovery) and I lived a great life. I just got caught up with the wrong people and tried things I shouldn’t have. That’s such a classic misnomer that addicts had like shitty upbringings or suffered crazy trauma! Hope your brother is doing okay
Scrolling through the comments thank you for writing this. I was divorced last year and felt so guilty when my son started experimenting with pot . We are an upper middle-class family we have given him lots of attention therapy and resources post divorce. he’s not doing it anymore but you are right that’s not an excuse thank you thank you so much
@@SaltstringMusic I'm so sorry to hear that. I"m so glad you found what I said helpful, I know how confusing and upsetting that situation can be when you know you've done everything you can do. Keeping your son in my thoughts!
Eh. Not always. I am a chemical dependency counselor assistant, currently in college to further my education by getting my bachelor's degree in psychological science AND a recovering addict. And while there are often contributing mental illnesses to addiction (which is why there are so many duel diagnostic programs) many addicts are perfectly fine, had a wonderful childhood, no other illnesses... No real issues at all. But if they have that addiction proclivity then all it takes is them trying a drink of beer when they are a kid or smoking some weed or even a cigarette to kick that addiction process into gear and allowing it to start taking down it's host much like a parasite. Feeding on the addict and being fueled by misery and pain and the destruction of everything and everyone in it's path. Addiction can claim anyone. It's nothing like many people think. It's something that can get a hold of you no matter what you have or have not went through or what you are or are not dealing with.
Thanks for mention that, I didn't know, and rewatching the movie yesterday I was wondering if Nic (both real or the character) could had some mental disorder even before adiction. I completely understand how being diagnosed was helpful for him.
I am 32 and have been an addict for more than half of my life. This movie was so accurate in depicting the addict's side and the family's side of the story. It was so relatable that it almost became uncomfortable for me to watch. It was literally like watching my life in a movie.
The book does actually address the mother’s active role in supporting nic and even the father’s mistakes (which is something I really admire about David Sheff because that takes a lot of humility to write about your own mistakes). 10/10 recommend the book.
i read David Sheff’s memoir right after i saw the movie and it really is weird the way that they totally omitted some really key moments. the movie makes David look like the most perfect dad where his memoir makes it clear that there are so many things he regrets in caring for his son which just would have made the whole story in the movie better but idk 🤷🏼♀️
LAUREN HARVEY Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
@@reedheard4918 Totally agree and understand that you can't fit everything in only one movie! And especially since they've taken parts from both books! I just found that, in reading David Sheff's, I would read about some events and just wonder why that one wasn't in the movie as it might have seemed like such a pivotal moment for both of their journeys
J Quiznos He regrets smoking marijuana with his son because he thought it was normal since many people were doing it. He also experimented with many drugs when he was young so he didn’t think something horrible would happen. Also he regrets at points during his son’s addiction losing hope of Nic being able to overcome the addiction, as Nic was ruining his family’s life. Nic was always in his head which didn’t allow him to focus on other things with his family. I re read the book over the break and watched the movie again just to get an even better understanding of the horrors of addiction and how it can ruin lives. Other than that I don’t know what the movie didn’t put in that David regretted, I believe it got a great message across for all parents.
J Quiznos I’m 19 so I think I have an understanding of what people my age are doing and seen people who I went to high school with destroying themselves with very dangerous drugs.
I loved Timothee's performance, but I definitely felt like there were missing scenes or something. For example, when Steve's character tries drugs - probably in an attempt to understand why and what his son is going through? - it felt like they had this big trippy scene where David is high but they never really expound upon what happens next, what if anything David got out of taking such a risk to his own health. I was like, what the hell was that? What insight did that give him? I imagine it did give him insight, but we never heard him mention it to a single other character. It was kind of baffling.
I thought that was really stupid too. I haven't heard of anyone or ever thought to try hard drugs myself to understand my family member's addiction.. like wtf
I have done drugs and have done crystal math on two different occasions about 13 years apart, and don’t get why people like or get addicted to this drug. The initial rush feels good but then there is the hours and hours of being awake and manic. You can’t just sit and relax. This is common, but I became paranoid on the drug. I was convinced that people and cops were staring at me through the windows and door and any noise made me jump. I was sweaty and all I wanted to happen is to come down off this shit. One cannot focus, as in read or watch TV or anything, just bouncing off the walls, scared of everything and wanting to crawl in the tightest space and hide until the shit wears off. Yikes. Never done heroin but I get heroin. Seems people enjoy a great buzz, and then nod off and sleep or be in an exteme relaxed state. This is what dope should do. Just saying.
@@strangebrew1231 says “strange brew 420” lmao I do know a couple people that tried to stop only once and never used again. However, if you read in the AA book it talks about different kinds of drinkers…the moderate one who can drink, maybe realized they drank yo much as some point, and either was able to moderate themselves or stop completely. The next is the problem drinker-gets a bit out of control, maybe struggles to stop, but then gets a consequence and is able to stop completely. Then, there is the alcoholic…they cannot stop once they start, they receive consequences and still wind up back in the bottle. That is the difference…replace drinker with user, alcohol with drugs, alcoholic with addict. The inability to stay stopped is what makes us addicts. Will power means nothing for us.
The goal is a betterment quality of life and not 100% soberary. I feel so sad that no one steped in and told nick that the one relapse day does not erase all of the 500 days sober he had. He could keep going with no shame. This mentally of all oe nothing hurts people so much😢
@@strangebrew1231 relapse is part of the recovery because 99% of the times when people who suffer from clinical addiction, they almost always relapse during their journey
I just saw Bohemian Rhapsody and I agree with you. It was a good movie, but I did know about things that were changed and they did deflate the story a bit. Thanks for your analysis.
Reason is never given for Nic's addiction as ADDICTION DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE!! It doesn't matter that he's well off with good parents. I feel like you missed the entire point of this story. Speaking from personal experience, not many parents would go to the extreme lengths that David did. He is nothing short of a "best dad ever." In regards to his mother - BEAUTIFUL BOY focuses on DAVID'S relationship with Nic. Nic's mother didn't write a memoir, his father did. Of course Nic's addiction had a horrible effect on her as well, and we can see glimpses of this in Nic's own memoir (although he always seems to have a distant relationship with her), but David's memoir was written about a father and son and so the movie tells the story of a father and son. I feel like a large part of your argument here is about this being a true story involving real people, and that by leaving details out, the film does a disservice to the family. Yet you speculate on what you think their lives should've been like, you want to assign a reason to Nic's illness, you want to see an angry father. This is not a story with plot holes that you should be looking to fix - this a family's real life and experience.
What does that mean that “addiction does not discriminate”? That is an asinine comment. Sort of like saying that obesity or smoking does not discriminate. Addiction doesn’t have a personality and it isn’t a “disease” either. It isn’t some ghost out there ready to pounce on an innocent person. Such a stupid comment!
Leon Andrews Obesity and smoking both involve a degree of conscious choice whereas addiction does not. (Obesity is a tricky subject as it often stems from food addiction.) Addiction IS a disease, having to do with individual brain chemistry. ‘Addiction does not discriminate’ means that it can happen to anyone. I suggest you educate yourself on the topic before you call it a choice or call people on the internet stupid.
Yes finally someone said it! The whole point of the movie was to depict the relationship between the father and the son! And that’s extremely evident in the movie as most of the scenes are shown in the point of view of Carrel and Timothee. No other relationships were portrayed completely and that’s the entire point of the MOVIE!
Leon Andrews clearly the person isn’t referring to addiction having a personality (huh it’s almost as if there’s a whole figurative writing technique that give human characteristics to non human things). Using obesity and smoking weren’t good examples because those are also examples of... addictions. No addiction doesn’t hunt people down but you never know when you can get an addiction. I mean almost everyone is addicted to something whether you know it or not. The sentence “addiction doesn’t discriminate” simply means that anyone can get it. Hence why they show nic having a serious problem even though his dad was being an amazing dad throughout the entire story. You called the entire comment stupid yet you only brought up one sentence and decided to base your poorly educated opinion upon that one sentence. Please do some research before you say stuff like that.
I completely understand this point of view but i’ve heard more than once from timothée and the creators of the movie that this was done deliberately to make the story more universal and relatable, rather then just telling Nics personal story
The whole "Relapse is apart of recovery" is said A LOT in rehab and even in NA/AA meetings. When told its almost always followed up with "it doesn't have to be though". Its more so said to let you know that even if you do relapse, you can always get back on that recovery train again.
the relapse is a part of recovery thing is perfectly true and realistic. I didn't see the film so I don't know how it came across but the idea in real life is for addicts not to fall into a shame spiral from a relapse and just fall deeper into it and for everyone to understand that the struggle is lifelong and screwing up doesn't mean you lose and can't keep going in recovery.
This movie was incredible. I think they portrayed the roles so well. A lot of shows and movies sugar coat a lot of things, but this movie was raw and real. The performances were amazing, and I don’t think they could have found better people to do it. Just my opinion, but it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.
It’s a shame that the lows and parental flaws etc were excluded. Addiction is an often misunderstood phenomenon and it’s a missed opportunity to show a road that led to it. Great vid as always.
Bowman Wright Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
I thought that this film was very striking and spot on - I have an older brother, 10 years older, who descended into the same dark abyss of drug abuse in his late teen years. I found the story to capture the same experiences me and my family went through as we navigated the peaks and troughs of addiction and rehabilitation, over and over again, leading to hurt and pain for all, and ultimately the complete cutting-off of that beloved family member
I agree with a lot of the points you made here. In Nic Sheff’s memoir, ‘Tweak’, he talks a lot about how his dad was great to him growing up, but took him to a lot parties and other events that had drugs and alcohol present. He talks about how he thinks that is one of the reasons he got into drugs, because he was exposed to so much of it at such a young age. So yeah, I thought that they didn’t do a great job portraying David in the movie, but I still thought it was good.
Relapse IS a part of recovery!! and yeah I know!! The problem with rehab is it doesn't work unless you WANT to stop!! Most people don't want to, they feel they have to or are forced to! So it doesn't work, regardless of the cost!! Just so you know! Love the vids btw!!
What is “recovery”. To me one is either sober or they are not. One either gets high or drunk or they don’t. Again, the problem is not the addiction itself, the addiction is a byproduct of the real issues in the person’s life. There is no “disease of addiction” either. People make choices in their lives and they pay for their choices. I used to smoke crack cocaine. I do not do that shit anymore. I am recovered from that addiction. I did it on my own. No recovery meetings, 12 Steps, God or anyone else. Me, and me alone. There is no disease around the corner waiting to beat me over the head.
@@leonandrews7180 there are levels to this. There is mild, moderate and more severe levels to addictions. When it’s an extremely severe situation then at that point it is a disease, which does look bleak in some cases. In those cases, there’s just been too much damage done to the brain for it to ever go back to normal. Who could function on faulty “Hardware”?
If you read the book Nic Sheffs does write a lot about how his dad exposed him to a lot of drugs and sex at a very young age because he was the one who mostly raised him. And also in the story he does express how he didn’t see his mom that often because she WAS very focused on her career. So it’s sad to hear they didn’t show any of the negative things his dad exposed him to. He definitely wasn’t the perfect father. There are many times in the book where both parents kind of flip out on him.
such a moving film. i have a brother dealing with addiction so i felt some of this although not all but the tearing of the family apart and all that stuff. love the actors
I got to see beautiful boy at the London premiere (it was the bfi film festival at the time and they sold tickets for £5 just before the screening to fill up all the spaces) I got to walk on the red carpet and sit in the same room watching the film with Timmy and Steve. This isn’t really a comment about the film or this vid but it was just such an amazing moment in my life that I wanted to share.
TOTALLY DID A DOUBLE TAKE. It's like a darker Michael and Holly had a baby and he grew up to be an addict. I think there's a reason they didn't promote her performance at all - because the narrative would be shifted to "they worked together on The Office, and now they are doing a super harrowing film about familial troubles -- taaa daaaa!"
Just to address one thing: it doesn’t matter how nice someone’s childhood was, addiction can literally happen to anyone, and there often never is a mysterious or dark reason. Often the reason is as simple as...the person wanted to get high, because it’s fun to get high, then they did get high, and then they kept doing it regularly until they became an addict. That is probably at least 1/4th to 1/2 of all addiction backstories. If a person wants to find a reason, they can literally look at anything stressful that’s ever happened to them. Even people who had the most carefree and wonderful childhoods around did experience SOME kind of stress from something. It’s not hard to find something to blame addiction on.
The moms role isn’t as apparent in Beautiful Boy because is it an adapted screenplay from the book Beautiful Boy written by David Scheff. So all of David’s side of story is in the movie because the director is going of David’s perspective from his book of Nic’s addiction.
I loved Beautiful Boy and Tweak, haven't seen the movie, but I kinda figured the movie wouldn't be able to capture the story. Side not: I work for a rehab center, and have worked at state ones in the past, and unfortunately some are awful and are just doing it for the money. Rehab and recovery is a struggle, and relapse is incredibly common, most people in recovery go through it. I'm definitely gonna go watch the movie now after this review!
Ok so. people always, always have a backstory for addiction. addiction is literally an obsessive behavior to cope with underlying angst, anxiety, trauma, fear, or whatever. but that doesn't mean addicts - not only drug addicts but anyone who copes with anything in an addictive form consistently - have one big single underlying event that can explain their entire backstory, like original sin. Yes, they could have dug deeper into Nick's mental issues but for me, that would be way less interesting considering that most times, irl, ppl are way more nuanced and complex and often don't have a 'reason' for destructive behaviors or addictions, as frustrating as that may sound. I think it makes it more real. And i think it's kinda obvious that the misrepresentation of the mother is due not only to poetic license, but even before the movie the father and the son were the ones to release books, not the mother. They already had a saying, like it or not, on how they were going to profit from this, how the narrative would more or less be.
It's a bit double for me. On one hand the movie really shows you that sometimes addiction is just kind of in your blood. Like depression. But on the other hand I would have like some more details about what maybe drove him to drugs.
As an addict and alcoholic who got sober at a young age (19), the film hit very close to home. It did a perfect job in explaining that addiction is a disease that happens to everyone, no matter their privilege or upbringing (eg. If money could solve it rich people wouldn’t die). Rehab is pretty close to how it is portrayed in the film as well (at least to my experience, the things they said were word for word said to me as well). The special or original element of this story is the focus on the dad, portraying him as a father struggling with his own addiction - codependency. They even show him and the stepmom going to a codependency meeting. I had a similar experience, in having a codependent parent always trying to save me. As this movie shows, it isn’t until they realise they need to quit this behaviour that the addict is able to fully recover and rebuild their relationship. I can’t remember a film in which this process is shown in such a clear way. I do agree that the mother is unfairly presented. However, as it is an adaptation from the original book, I wonder if this was also the case in the book. If so, that doesn’t justify it but does help in explaining their decision.
This movie was Nick's dad's perspective. I think that's why there's bits and pieces missing (the mom, Nick reason for turning to drugs) it's the limited knowledge his dad knows of him.
I completely agree with you, something was missing! I was actually searching the internet for a video like this, to find out, what it was that bothered me about 'beautiful boy'. Also it was very interesting to see the mother's side, thank you. Now I can understand his story, and the film much better. Great video! :)
Simply is not a story about the reasons of addiction, is a story about the way father and son managed the addiction. Chalamet here is phenomenal, as always, because he became the caracter. He's on a different level of acting, so difficult to find out nowadays.
right? i can’t believe how accurately he just grows into his roles and acts as the character; especially seeing how his roles are extremely difficult to play at times!
I totally agree with this. I actually just finished the novel today and I think expanding the depth and detail they give other people in the movie that they did in the novel would have shown more complexity. While the husband writes the memoir, he does include the other people in Nic’s life more than the movie does.
Actually now that you pointed it out, it makes sense. If only something is missing that is Mom. I too felt how could a mom have nothing to say when they did show her actually care eventually. Again love Timothee, he's a sweetheart. Hopefully we'll see more wonderful movies from him.
I agree that they glossed over trauma. A lot of people are commenting that addiction doesn't need a cause. Addiction absolutely has a cause. People don't generally destroy themselves for no reason whatsoever. That's super ignorant. There is always a reason.
im so glad you did this one! i actually wrote review for my college newspaper, and i completely agree w what you said in it. i had really high expectations but feel they really underused timothee and basically only had him crying when he was on screen. the lack of development in regards to their backstory made it so meh to me, it didn't impact me as much as i thought.
what called my attention in the movie was that Timmy was doing great while he was with his mom bit after he went to his dad he fell, that is what called my attention ... like that atmosphere was not good to him .. but he was there cause he loved his father.
I see what you're saying and do agree with you, to a degree. The film makers wanted to focus on making this an anti-opiod addiction film and make people realize the problem it is. They mention purposely leaving out why Nic became addicted because the why can vary from person to person and especially when the people vary in circumstances, so they chose to focus on the struggle and how it affected the relationship and the people. The books, while going into what might've caused the addiction, also never quite say exactly what it was. It can also simply have been a mixture of everything, David Sheff's lax parenting and ambivalence in Nic's early years and also his early exposure to alcohol and drugs because of friends around him, and/or the pressures of traveling back and forth because of him parent's divorce and the pressure he felt being the only child for a while and also being labelled and touted as some sort of prodigy who can do no wrong also adds pressure to someone while lowering their accountability since whatever they may do or mess up is simply a "part of their process". It could've been all of these things together slowing building, or none. But as always, love and respect your videos man.
BRO!!!! I HAVE BEEEN LOOKING FOR THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN FOR YEARS! I saw the trailer on iTunes Trailers a few years back and i’ve always wanted to see it but I couldn’t find it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!
Heidy Alexandra Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
I felt the same way, the pacing was odd and i felt like the structure could have been a lot tighter. It didn't capture the spirit of the book at all imo. Great acting performance though
That’s what always happens. You can’t expect a movie to showcase every part of the book....that’s just ridiculous. It was good movie with great performances and I think we should appreciate it for what it is rather than what it should’ve been. ✌️
i mean, as someone who read both tweak and beautiful boy before the film’s release, i can totally agree with your points. a lot of important stuff was omitted in relation to the mistakes david sheff made as a father. i think they may have glossed over that because it was more about the addict than the father? not sure. also i think nic’s mother was not put into the spotlight as much as the other members of the family because in both books, she doesn’t really get much mention...i think it all comes down to working with the source material.
The first time he gets clean is when he leaves his Fathers home and goes back living with his Mother. She gets no credit for that and when he relapses she is somehow to blame. Really didn't understand that aspect.
acTually, the "why" was taken out, because that's not what matters. you don't need a reason to be addicted. You just try it and you're hook. Also, every rehab center says those things.
@@Shiro642 He did struggle with mental health a bit, but more than anything, it was just a chemical addiction. Meth actually increases dopamine which is a neurotransmitter and is one of your "happy" chemicals. You don't necessarily have to feel sad in order to be addicted. It's just a rush of the chemical and it feels so, i don't even know how to explain it. Addiction doesn't, as many people say, discriminate. That's the entire point of the film. The why doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, if the original issue is solved, your body is still addicted. The film really is just supposed to portray the struggles of getting clean.
See that so would have been a much better movie. Two divorced parents working together, a scene of her on the phone interviewing while with the police on the other line would have been wonderfully tense. It could have been such a more complex film. Instead it was rich kid does drugs parents save him by having money for treatments & the cops will help them.
I watched this movie and totally felt the same way! Especially the scene where the dad says: ‘I fucked up, and I’m sorry’ and I’m just thinking, dude, you are literally the PERFECT DAD! I felt for him, but his character in the movie seemed a little underdeveloped for me.
I think I understand the part when the father is so perfect; means that doesn't matter how perfect perent are you, even like that your son can fall into drugs, sometimes is not a father's fault
I loved the movie, absolutely loved it. But I actually love it even more now that you've told me all this because it helps me fill in the gaps--yes, the father did seem too perfect looking back on it. Reading some of the below comments, I realize the movie makers didn't want to focus too much on the causes of the addiction. Although now I know this, I can read those causes in Carell's nuanced performance. Yes, the mother (and the women in general) did seem fairly absent. I think I was so caught up in the emotion and the great acting and cinematography that I forgot to be a critical viewer as well. Also, I hadn't read either memoir or the mother's article. Thanks for informing me!
MyName IsRamen I liked the way they framed the shots, chose unique angles (like the one where Timothee is in the car talking to his sponsor on the phone and the camera’s not quite focused on him but looking from behind the side of the car, I don’t know just little things like that that draw you into the emotion.) There weren’t explosions or super fancy transitions or anything but I felt “in” the story because of the way they filmed it. But that’s also just my personal experience watching it 😊
Oooiiiiii as a recovering addict I think that you must have cared for an addict or be one for the movie to affect you the way it affected me. Addiction is almost impossible to understand if you have no experience with it
I think it would have been fascinating to tell the three perspectives of the mom, dad, and Nic separately and equally and then intertwine them. it felt more like the dad's story in the end....
I felt like they should've read Nic's autobiography to get some insight into his "character" in the movie. When I was younger I read his book Tweak and didn't know about his dad's books til way later and it always sat with me the wrong way that people would focus on the dad more than the son who actually. You know. Went through this stuff. Not that the dad should be ignored as that's a tough time too but you couldve had a movie with a really balanced perspective of the two sides of drug addiction. But they didn't. And from the looks of the performance of Chalamet they really prepped up the "character" and changed him a lot from his dad's POV when in his books hes very a grungey hanging-in-his-friends-basement-and-doing-random-shit-for-giggles, cursing constantly type
I completely agree with you when you say they never show Nic’s start with drugs and how in movies it’s usually well off kids that are getting into drugs but they never show WHY they get into them
i think you missed the entire point of this film. addiction does not have to have a ‘reason’ to happen. some of us are just unlucky with our brain chemistry and it happens. the movie is based on a real family and their story. i don’t know what would make you expect that a movie about addiction had to depict an ‘angry father’ to have it make sense to you. addiction is a complicated disease and isn’t easily explained. the relationship nic and david share is extremely rare. most parents do not want to deal with the struggle of a drug addicted child and unfortunately give up hope. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS A POWERFUL STORY. the father DID ALL HE COULD TO HELP HIS SON. it’s not about ‘why addiction happens’.
Wow, that thing with mom doing interview and talking to police on the phone at the same time could be a great and powerfull scene! So sad they didn’t include her in the story as she was, cause she sounds like amazing woman and mother
I read Nic's book so I know his perspective more than his father's so I haven't watched the movie yet but I think that is the rub of doing a movie based on a parent's perspective when I relate more to the kid's experience of addiction with the context of his life before the setting of this movie.
I'm sure if the mother had a memoir out, as well, the movie would've been based on 3 books, not 2 ... but there were only 2, not 3. Nic Sheff and David Sheff's memoirs. The director, actors, producer have all clearly mentioned in many many interviews that that's what the movie was based off of ... those 2 memoirs. So of course, the movie would show more of the father's side of the story.
Hi i totally agree with you. i saw the movie and fell inlove with it. i then read the book Beautiful Boy and Tweak and damn they truly did leave out a lot in the movie. for example: nic going through the sex industry and his love for this woman who’s 22 years older than nic (and she played a huge part in nics life and in the movie she’s completely absent) i also agree with how they just didn’t really include the mom when in all honesty she did so much to get nic sober. I understand that the movies more “family friendly” ish but it just seems like the movie was more inspired by the books than based off them, if that makes sense.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 89 | คู่เอก "ยอดไอคิว vs คิริลล์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z3vYkHJ_5Ig/mqdefault.jpg)
In the actor's round table Timothée said they deliberately didn't show the cause because they wanted to say that the cause is less important than the fact that he already is addicted and his struggle to overcome it. They didn't want a justification.
The mother seems like a really great person and was definitely misrepresented.
Anisha Roy yes, I read a newspaper article that also said that they didn’t want to make it like any other movie about drug addiction.
@@hannahbrekelmans5606 yes they wanted to concentrate on the later part of the journey
Yes, but telling us why helps the viewer understand the character's motives and the reason behind his choice to relapse (I know that it's not always a "choice" but when he relapsed after a long time of recovery it tells us that something is wrong and it begs the question of "why?"). That way we're not confused as to the choices the character makes throughout the movie.
Thanks for the info man.
I agree. When I was in therapy for smth my therapist told me that they don't try to understand why it happened, they just focus on what they can do about it.
Timmy’s acting shocks me... he is so talented
SOOO talented 😍
He’s continually doing great work. Curious to see how he leads ‘Dune’
@@LucyLioness100 >>>definitely one of the best young actors out there
@@LucyLioness100this aged beautifully
“Calling me... whatever he wants” SAAAAAME
I don't understand.
J Quiznos ur gay bro...literally
@@Hokuto_Tongi takes one to know one, amirite? You sniffed me out real good!
@@jquiznos2283 lmao have you ever seen the movie being referenced?
@@Hokuto_Tongi Nope. That's why I posted, "I don't understand"
Timothee is a beautiful boy
Violet Army thata true he's such a cute kid
Yes, yes he is
So cute beautiful and sexy
Meow! 😍😍
Alyssa Black Bruh lmao
Liiiiiistennn... you don't need to have bad parents to become an addict.
Yeah but the story still needs to be grounded in reality
And for all we know the mother was absent I mean it's not hard to be believe
The fathers memoir covered that tho.
That’s what they based the movie on and the producers even cut out like 40% lol
And respect Nic’s mama 😤😤
@@LetMeExplain I respect where your critique from a movie reviewer is coming from, but having read both memoirs and experiencing addiction and recovery, this movie and especially Timotheé's performance evoke a very honest interpretation of an individual's journey through this process. Liberties were certainly taken but truths were definitely told and for that, this film should be acclaimed.
I think every movie that has Timmy in it instantly gains 10 points.
You say that before you have seen The King where he's supposed to have an accent. Let's see his range first then make that comment.
it's sad that you say that cuz "beautiful boy" was so badly written and even presence of timothy and steve doesn't help this movie
Tf lady? Timmy isn’t only a great actor who can take any character you throw at him, but a fine ass lookin’ man too. Now you go ahead and you change that comment to 1,000,000,000 :)
except for in a rainy day in new york yeeeeesh
Except for miss.stevens. The only redeeming quality was timothée’s performance. Das it.
I don’t think Steve carrel played a perfect father. I thought he lost his temper a whole bunch of times, he just didn’t know how to help his son and would get angry with him until later on he tried to understand him at the diner and then just gave up.
The point of the movie is not about exactly why he got addicted, this has been explained in interviews. It’s not always something so plain and simple and easy as to just pinpoint, sometimes it happens and there’s no clear reason why. The movie wasn’t aiming to say he got into drugs because of this, but rather to explore the mentality and emotions that surrounded his addiction. I’ve had a similar experience that the character has, mainly with alcohol and smaller drugs. So i could understand where the character was coming from. My life isn’t necessarily bad, in fact it’s quite good. It’s not like you get into these addictions because of something so big or obvious. Sometimes it’s things like insecurity, feelings of loneliness, etc. which may not seem like great reasons but they can greatly affect a person. Well it did for me.
Oh man I feel you though with the whole mom character. I hate that they did that. Cause it seemed like they tried really hard to resonate and respect the father and son interpretations. Guess they didn’t care enough to take into consideration the mom’s role
Freddy Toloni Keep in mind he didn’t create the script. Just trying to do his job, but I agree. He isn’t fit to be the i-care-father. He acted nicely though!
There were enough suggestions in the movie to show how the father was NOT perfect, but he struggled honestly to understand and help, but often fell short. I feel I watched a different performance from Let Me Explain.
Totally agree with your other points. The focus of the movie was never the why, but the what, and it did a great job. We don't need to have all the i's dotted or the t's crossed in order to understand the pain of the situation.
Couldn’t agree more. Very well said. I truly loved this movie except for how the mother was portrayed. But yet again they only have so much time in a movie so in the long run, it made sense for her to be just a side character written with little arc
I had an addiction to oxy, it really just started because I took more than I should. I was prescribed by it from doctors. Plus my mom warned me that those pills are highly addicting. And well I didn’t listen and when I had that hit, after that day. A lot changed for me. My body craved it. I’m not on it anymore, and I refuse to be near it because I know that if I take oxy / percs. I would go down that dark path again. I’m glad that In the movie they showed that one scene where he takes a pill, and drugs himself up. It hit home for me. But you can see if an addict is near their choice of drug even though they “recovered” they can go back to it at any time. It’s both a physical and psychological thing.
Loneliness is something huge emotionaly. Your life isn't amazing if you feel imsecure and lonely all the time.... Im sorry to her what you had been through but please don't feel ungrateful for coping with lonely with substances like that. The life your parents gave you and your life are two separate things, you were trying to build yours and that is really hard without the emotional support.
Drug addicts don't actually need a reason to be addicts. You just have to try it like it then get stuck.
Nah, that isn't the way people get addicted
@@warpnl1 I actually know people who got addicted that way.
They just liked how it made them feel.
It had nothing to do with having a bad past or some big trauma.
@@theluckypoptart2945 That's a big assumption that your friends' past experiences, worldviews, and potential genetic predispositions aren't factored in to the equation. People don't exist in a vacuum.
-Therapist and Substance Use Counselor
@@astillianmike I was saying that not everyone has to have something traumatic happen to them to become addicts.
I'm literally saying not everyone is the same or reactions to things the same way.
Not everyone is hiding from problems.
They just liked how it made them feel.
Some are self medicating.
Where am I making assumptions that there is no reason?
I'm just saying it's not always the stereotypical reasons that people think of.
@@theluckypoptart2945 hey you should check out this TED talk by Johann Hari called "Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong" it talks about what you guys are discussing and its actually very interesting and explains what you're saying
I just want Timothee to win an Oscar.
my twin brother is an addict. we lived a good life, we had a good childhood and loving family. we have a beautiful loving mother who’d do anything for us. it wasn’t a perfect childhood because there’s no such thing. but it was a good one. addiction does NOT need a reason and it does NOT discriminate. rich privileged young men get caught up in addiction and it’d be easy to argue that they had no reason to seek out drugs as their lives seem “perfect”. it does. not. matter. you can live an amazing life and get caught up in addiction. once you stop focusing on the cause you can focus on the most important thing, which is how you’re going to help an addict through their situation. you don’t need a reason to be an addict. 🤷🏽♀️
najah qamar I second this. I’m an addict (in recovery) and I lived a great life. I just got caught up with the wrong people and tried things I shouldn’t have. That’s such a classic misnomer that addicts had like shitty upbringings or suffered crazy trauma! Hope your brother is doing okay
Scrolling through the comments thank you for writing this. I was divorced last year and felt so guilty when my son started experimenting with pot . We are an upper middle-class family we have given him lots of attention therapy and resources post divorce. he’s not doing it anymore but you are right that’s not an excuse thank you thank you so much
@@SaltstringMusic I'm so sorry to hear that. I"m so glad you found what I said helpful, I know how confusing and upsetting that situation can be when you know you've done everything you can do. Keeping your son in my thoughts!
Maybe your brother's life wasn't quite as perfect as you thought.
men arent priviligied
That really bothered me that they didn’t even mention about Nic being diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and how helpful that was for him.
Stacie Westray I think they didn’t do that so people see that there’s not always a reason for addiction
Exactly especially because not everyone has a “cause” and not everyone that has a mental illness is addicted
@@ansa3176 there is always a reason.
Eh. Not always. I am a chemical dependency counselor assistant, currently in college to further my education by getting my bachelor's degree in psychological science AND a recovering addict. And while there are often contributing mental illnesses to addiction (which is why there are so many duel diagnostic programs) many addicts are perfectly fine, had a wonderful childhood, no other illnesses... No real issues at all. But if they have that addiction proclivity then all it takes is them trying a drink of beer when they are a kid or smoking some weed or even a cigarette to kick that addiction process into gear and allowing it to start taking down it's host much like a parasite. Feeding on the addict and being fueled by misery and pain and the destruction of everything and everyone in it's path. Addiction can claim anyone. It's nothing like many people think. It's something that can get a hold of you no matter what you have or have not went through or what you are or are not dealing with.
Thanks for mention that, I didn't know, and rewatching the movie yesterday I was wondering if Nic (both real or the character) could had some mental disorder even before adiction. I completely understand how being diagnosed was helpful for him.
I am 32 and have been an addict for more than half of my life. This movie was so accurate in depicting the addict's side and the family's side of the story. It was so relatable that it almost became uncomfortable for me to watch. It was literally like watching my life in a movie.
The book does actually address the mother’s active role in supporting nic and even the father’s mistakes (which is something I really admire about David Sheff because that takes a lot of humility to write about your own mistakes). 10/10 recommend the book.
what was the father mistakes
i read David Sheff’s memoir right after i saw the movie and it really is weird the way that they totally omitted some really key moments. the movie makes David look like the most perfect dad where his memoir makes it clear that there are so many things he regrets in caring for his son which just would have made the whole story in the movie better but idk 🤷🏼♀️
LAUREN HARVEY Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
@@reedheard4918 Totally agree and understand that you can't fit everything in only one movie! And especially since they've taken parts from both books! I just found that, in reading David Sheff's, I would read about some events and just wonder why that one wasn't in the movie as it might have seemed like such a pivotal moment for both of their journeys
What things did he regret? As a dad, I want to know what these pitfalls are. Cliffnote that shiz for me plz!
J Quiznos He regrets smoking marijuana with his son because he thought it was normal since many people were doing it. He also experimented with many drugs when he was young so he didn’t think something horrible would happen. Also he regrets at points during his son’s addiction losing hope of Nic being able to overcome the addiction, as Nic was ruining his family’s life. Nic was always in his head which didn’t allow him to focus on other things with his family. I re read the book over the break and watched the movie again just to get an even better understanding of the horrors of addiction and how it can ruin lives. Other than that I don’t know what the movie didn’t put in that David regretted, I believe it got a great message across for all parents.
J Quiznos I’m 19 so I think I have an understanding of what people my age are doing and seen people who I went to high school with destroying themselves with very dangerous drugs.
I really like Timotheé as an actor. He was terrific in CMBYN, a fine Henry V & the best Laurie in ‘Little Women’
I loved Timothee's performance, but I definitely felt like there were missing scenes or something. For example, when Steve's character tries drugs - probably in an attempt to understand why and what his son is going through? - it felt like they had this big trippy scene where David is high but they never really expound upon what happens next, what if anything David got out of taking such a risk to his own health. I was like, what the hell was that? What insight did that give him? I imagine it did give him insight, but we never heard him mention it to a single other character. It was kind of baffling.
I thought that was really stupid too. I haven't heard of anyone or ever thought to try hard drugs myself to understand my family member's addiction.. like wtf
Stop
@@jfh8792 ?
I have done drugs and have done crystal math on two different occasions about 13 years apart, and don’t get why people like or get addicted to this drug.
The initial rush feels good but then there is the hours and hours of being awake and manic. You can’t just sit and relax. This is common, but I became paranoid on the drug. I was convinced that people and cops were staring at me through the windows and door and any noise made me jump. I was sweaty and all I wanted to happen is to come down off this shit. One cannot focus, as in read or watch TV or anything, just bouncing off the walls, scared of everything and wanting to crawl in the tightest space and hide until the shit wears off. Yikes.
Never done heroin but I get heroin. Seems people enjoy a great buzz, and then nod off and sleep or be in an exteme relaxed state. This is what dope should do. Just saying.
@MisterMooCow I agree. I think all those little things he was gathering, led him to believe that nic couldn't be helped
if freddie were alive, he would NEVER
Relapse is definitely a part of recovery. You obviously haven't dealt with addiction or rehab, because that's exactly what is said.
Relapse is part of a addiction, not recovery.
No it’s not. It doesn’t have to be
@@strangebrew1231 says “strange brew 420” lmao
I do know a couple people that tried to stop only once and never used again. However, if you read in the AA book it talks about different kinds of drinkers…the moderate one who can drink, maybe realized they drank yo much as some point, and either was able to moderate themselves or stop completely. The next is the problem drinker-gets a bit out of control, maybe struggles to stop, but then gets a consequence and is able to stop completely. Then, there is the alcoholic…they cannot stop once they start, they receive consequences and still wind up back in the bottle. That is the difference…replace drinker with user, alcohol with drugs, alcoholic with addict. The inability to stay stopped is what makes us addicts. Will power means nothing for us.
The goal is a betterment quality of life and not 100% soberary. I feel so sad that no one steped in and told nick that the one relapse day does not erase all of the 500 days sober he had. He could keep going with no shame. This mentally of all oe nothing hurts people so much😢
@@strangebrew1231 relapse is part of the recovery because 99% of the times when people who suffer from clinical addiction, they almost always relapse during their journey
Ok so.... have you heard of this movie called Mary Queen of Scots??
Nicole Jennings Is that the movie with Soirse Ronan and Margot Robbie?
@@TheMorganVEVO yep yep yep!!!
Nicole Jennings I feel like Soirse Ronan should have played the role of Queen Elizabeth based on what she actually looked like.
@@TheMorganVEVO I'm still waiting for the movie to come to where I'm at so I can see it. But from what I've seen it looks so good!!!
Nobody has heard of that movie lol
Very cool that you took the time to tell us about the mom. Without this channel I wouldn’t have known 😭😂
I just saw Bohemian Rhapsody and I agree with you. It was a good movie, but I did know about things that were changed and they did deflate the story a bit. Thanks for your analysis.
Reason is never given for Nic's addiction as ADDICTION DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE!! It doesn't matter that he's well off with good parents. I feel like you missed the entire point of this story. Speaking from personal experience, not many parents would go to the extreme lengths that David did. He is nothing short of a "best dad ever." In regards to his mother - BEAUTIFUL BOY focuses on DAVID'S relationship with Nic. Nic's mother didn't write a memoir, his father did. Of course Nic's addiction had a horrible effect on her as well, and we can see glimpses of this in Nic's own memoir (although he always seems to have a distant relationship with her), but David's memoir was written about a father and son and so the movie tells the story of a father and son.
I feel like a large part of your argument here is about this being a true story involving real people, and that by leaving details out, the film does a disservice to the family. Yet you speculate on what you think their lives should've been like, you want to assign a reason to Nic's illness, you want to see an angry father. This is not a story with plot holes that you should be looking to fix - this a family's real life and experience.
What does that mean that “addiction does not discriminate”? That is an asinine comment. Sort of like saying that obesity or smoking does not discriminate. Addiction doesn’t have a personality and it isn’t a “disease” either. It isn’t some ghost out there ready to pounce on an innocent person. Such a stupid comment!
Leon Andrews Obesity and smoking both involve a degree of conscious choice whereas addiction does not. (Obesity is a tricky subject as it often stems from food addiction.) Addiction IS a disease, having to do with individual brain chemistry. ‘Addiction does not discriminate’ means that it can happen to anyone. I suggest you educate yourself on the topic before you call it a choice or call people on the internet stupid.
Yes finally someone said it! The whole point of the movie was to depict the relationship between the father and the son! And that’s extremely evident in the movie as most of the scenes are shown in the point of view of Carrel and Timothee. No other relationships were portrayed completely and that’s the entire point of the MOVIE!
@@boomerscute addiction to food and addiction to smoking tho?????????
Leon Andrews clearly the person isn’t referring to addiction having a personality (huh it’s almost as if there’s a whole figurative writing technique that give human characteristics to non human things). Using obesity and smoking weren’t good examples because those are also examples of... addictions. No addiction doesn’t hunt people down but you never know when you can get an addiction. I mean almost everyone is addicted to something whether you know it or not. The sentence “addiction doesn’t discriminate” simply means that anyone can get it. Hence why they show nic having a serious problem even though his dad was being an amazing dad throughout the entire story. You called the entire comment stupid yet you only brought up one sentence and decided to base your poorly educated opinion upon that one sentence. Please do some research before you say stuff like that.
I completely understand this point of view but i’ve heard more than once from timothée and the creators of the movie that this was done deliberately to make the story more universal and relatable, rather then just telling Nics personal story
Beautiful Boy is spectacular to me. It perfectly depicts the cycle of addiction and how it affects the family. My favorite film of the year.
The whole "Relapse is apart of recovery" is said A LOT in rehab and even in NA/AA meetings. When told its almost always followed up with "it doesn't have to be though". Its more so said to let you know that even if you do relapse, you can always get back on that recovery train again.
Mamma's boy club where you at?
the relapse is a part of recovery thing is perfectly true and realistic. I didn't see the film so I don't know how it came across but the idea in real life is for addicts not to fall into a shame spiral from a relapse and just fall deeper into it and for everyone to understand that the struggle is lifelong and screwing up doesn't mean you lose and can't keep going in recovery.
I feel you
In the movie they legit lost Nic and the center didn’t want to assume responsibilities. Like....for all that money???
This movie was incredible. I think they portrayed the roles so well. A lot of shows and movies sugar coat a lot of things, but this movie was raw and real. The performances were amazing, and I don’t think they could have found better people to do it. Just my opinion, but it was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.
“thinking that he could call me.....whatever he wants”
okay.. me too..
It’s a shame that the lows and parental flaws etc were excluded. Addiction is an often misunderstood phenomenon and it’s a missed opportunity to show a road that led to it. Great vid as always.
Bowman Wright Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
I thought that this film was very striking and spot on - I have an older brother, 10 years older, who descended into the same dark abyss of drug abuse in his late teen years. I found the story to capture the same experiences me and my family went through as we navigated the peaks and troughs of addiction and rehabilitation, over and over again, leading to hurt and pain for all, and ultimately the complete cutting-off of that beloved family member
Please do the marvelous Mrs maisel. People need to be reminded that Amazon prime exists and it has some great shows as well. Thanks in advance!!!
Yes!
YES
im sure he already did
@@annamariejones2837 wut? No
@@natalacand162 actually he did, go and look for yourself.
“Fucking solve it” was a loss of temper
I agree with a lot of the points you made here. In Nic Sheff’s memoir, ‘Tweak’, he talks a lot about how his dad was great to him growing up, but took him to a lot parties and other events that had drugs and alcohol present. He talks about how he thinks that is one of the reasons he got into drugs, because he was exposed to so much of it at such a young age. So yeah, I thought that they didn’t do a great job portraying David in the movie, but I still thought it was good.
Relapse IS a part of recovery!! and yeah I know!! The problem with rehab is it doesn't work unless you WANT to stop!! Most people don't want to, they feel they have to or are forced to! So it doesn't work, regardless of the cost!! Just so you know! Love the vids btw!!
Agreed. The center in the movie were just bogus tho
What is “recovery”. To me one is either sober or they are not. One either gets high or drunk or they don’t.
Again, the problem is not the addiction itself, the addiction is a byproduct of the real issues in the person’s life. There is no “disease of addiction” either. People make choices in their lives and they pay for their choices.
I used to smoke crack cocaine. I do not do that shit anymore. I am recovered from that addiction. I did it on my own. No recovery meetings, 12 Steps, God or anyone else. Me, and me alone. There is no disease around the corner waiting to beat me over the head.
Relapse is part of addiction. Not recovery.
@@leonandrews7180 there are levels to this. There is mild, moderate and more severe levels to addictions. When it’s an extremely severe situation then at that point it is a disease, which does look bleak in some cases. In those cases, there’s just been too much damage done to the brain for it to ever go back to normal. Who could function on faulty “Hardware”?
If you read the book Nic Sheffs does write a lot about how his dad exposed him to a lot of drugs and sex at a very young age because he was the one who mostly raised him. And also in the story he does express how he didn’t see his mom that often because she WAS very focused on her career. So it’s sad to hear they didn’t show any of the negative things his dad exposed him to. He definitely wasn’t the perfect father. There are many times in the book where both parents kind of flip out on him.
Dang Michael and Holly turned out to be good parents
Connor Fogarty I was looking for that one comment 😂
such a moving film. i have a brother dealing with addiction so i felt some of this although not all but the tearing of the family apart and all that stuff. love the actors
My biggest problem with Beautiful Boy was the music... O god I just felt it was so out of place all the time
Yep that was my ONLY problem with it
With movies like this, in my opinion, it’s just better to leave all of it out.
Nope
It was a really quiet movie though lmao they barely used any bgm
I didn't like the music. Period 😂😌
Timmy and Rami untouchables!! They rule. Love them both so much
I got to see beautiful boy at the London premiere (it was the bfi film festival at the time and they sold tickets for £5 just before the screening to fill up all the spaces) I got to walk on the red carpet and sit in the same room watching the film with Timmy and Steve. This isn’t really a comment about the film or this vid but it was just such an amazing moment in my life that I wanted to share.
ur so lucky, i’m so happy for u
Wait is the mom holly from the office?
Junior Alcantar yep!
YES I SCREAMED HAHAHA
TOTALLY DID A DOUBLE TAKE. It's like a darker Michael and Holly had a baby and he grew up to be an addict. I think there's a reason they didn't promote her performance at all - because the narrative would be shifted to "they worked together on The Office, and now they are doing a super harrowing film about familial troubles -- taaa daaaa!"
Yep. Timothée's worked with a bunch of characters from the office.
Yo i was shook, I was starting to think wow i can't believe what happened to michael and holly's kid 😂😭
Just to address one thing: it doesn’t matter how nice someone’s childhood was, addiction can literally happen to anyone, and there often never is a mysterious or dark reason. Often the reason is as simple as...the person wanted to get high, because it’s fun to get high, then they did get high, and then they kept doing it regularly until they became an addict. That is probably at least 1/4th to 1/2 of all addiction backstories. If a person wants to find a reason, they can literally look at anything stressful that’s ever happened to them. Even people who had the most carefree and wonderful childhoods around did experience SOME kind of stress from something. It’s not hard to find something to blame addiction on.
The moms role isn’t as apparent in Beautiful Boy because is it an adapted screenplay from the book Beautiful Boy written by David Scheff. So all of David’s side of story is in the movie because the director is going of David’s perspective from his book of Nic’s addiction.
There are some parts from Tweak in it too, like when he was shooting up with Lauren
I loved Beautiful Boy and Tweak, haven't seen the movie, but I kinda figured the movie wouldn't be able to capture the story. Side not: I work for a rehab center, and have worked at state ones in the past, and unfortunately some are awful and are just doing it for the money. Rehab and recovery is a struggle, and relapse is incredibly common, most people in recovery go through it. I'm definitely gonna go watch the movie now after this review!
Ok so. people always, always have a backstory for addiction. addiction is literally an obsessive behavior to cope with underlying angst, anxiety, trauma, fear, or whatever. but that doesn't mean addicts - not only drug addicts but anyone who copes with anything in an addictive form consistently - have one big single underlying event that can explain their entire backstory, like original sin. Yes, they could have dug deeper into Nick's mental issues but for me, that would be way less interesting considering that most times, irl, ppl are way more nuanced and complex and often don't have a 'reason' for destructive behaviors or addictions, as frustrating as that may sound. I think it makes it more real. And i think it's kinda obvious that the misrepresentation of the mother is due not only to poetic license, but even before the movie the father and the son were the ones to release books, not the mother. They already had a saying, like it or not, on how they were going to profit from this, how the narrative would more or less be.
It's a bit double for me. On one hand the movie really shows you that sometimes addiction is just kind of in your blood. Like depression. But on the other hand I would have like some more details about what maybe drove him to drugs.
As an addict and alcoholic who got sober at a young age (19), the film hit very close to home. It did a perfect job in explaining that addiction is a disease that happens to everyone, no matter their privilege or upbringing (eg. If money could solve it rich people wouldn’t die). Rehab is pretty close to how it is portrayed in the film as well (at least to my experience, the things they said were word for word said to me as well). The special or original element of this story is the focus on the dad, portraying him as a father struggling with his own addiction - codependency. They even show him and the stepmom going to a codependency meeting. I had a similar experience, in having a codependent parent always trying to save me. As this movie shows, it isn’t until they realise they need to quit this behaviour that the addict is able to fully recover and rebuild their relationship. I can’t remember a film in which this process is shown in such a clear way.
I do agree that the mother is unfairly presented. However, as it is an adaptation from the original book, I wonder if this was also the case in the book. If so, that doesn’t justify it but does help in explaining their decision.
I love how open-mindedly and clearly you review these movies. First one of your videos I saw, definitely gonna watch more!
i think the real problem with this movie was that jack dylan grazer needed more screen time
I think the reasoning behind the lack of backstory was to show how addiction can affect anyone despite their circumstances.
This movie was Nick's dad's perspective. I think that's why there's bits and pieces missing (the mom, Nick reason for turning to drugs) it's the limited knowledge his dad knows of him.
I completely agree with you, something was missing! I was actually searching the internet for a video like this, to find out, what it was that bothered me about 'beautiful boy'.
Also it was very interesting to see the mother's side, thank you. Now I can understand his story, and the film much better.
Great video! :)
You have some very valid points on this beautiful movie
Simply is not a story about the reasons of addiction, is a story about the way father and son managed the addiction. Chalamet here is phenomenal, as always, because he became the caracter. He's on a different level of acting, so difficult to find out nowadays.
right? i can’t believe how accurately he just grows into his roles and acts as the character; especially seeing how his roles are extremely difficult to play at times!
I totally agree with this. I actually just finished the novel today and I think expanding the depth and detail they give other people in the movie that they did in the novel would have shown more complexity. While the husband writes the memoir, he does include the other people in Nic’s life more than the movie does.
Actually now that you pointed it out, it makes sense. If only something is missing that is Mom. I too felt how could a mom have nothing to say when they did show her actually care eventually. Again love Timothee, he's a sweetheart. Hopefully we'll see more wonderful movies from him.
i think beautiful boy is lot easier to follow if you've read the memoirs, but i completely understand the concerns found in this film
Beautiful boy it's okay, but the one thing I love, is his performance. The movie itself was just okay
I agree that they glossed over trauma. A lot of people are commenting that addiction doesn't need a cause. Addiction absolutely has a cause. People don't generally destroy themselves for no reason whatsoever. That's super ignorant. There is always a reason.
im so glad you did this one! i actually wrote review for my college newspaper, and i completely agree w what you said in it. i had really high expectations but feel they really underused timothee and basically only had him crying when he was on screen. the lack of development in regards to their backstory made it so meh to me, it didn't impact me as much as i thought.
what called my attention in the movie was that Timmy was doing great while he was with his mom bit after he went to his dad he fell, that is what called my attention ... like that atmosphere was not good to him .. but he was there cause he loved his father.
Right! he was in a good place , but his dad and step mom were treating him like he was only clean for a month.
"Thinking he call me by... WHATEVER HE WANTS-"
I see what you're saying and do agree with you, to a degree. The film makers wanted to focus on making this an anti-opiod addiction film and make people realize the problem it is. They mention purposely leaving out why Nic became addicted because the why can vary from person to person and especially when the people vary in circumstances, so they chose to focus on the struggle and how it affected the relationship and the people. The books, while going into what might've caused the addiction, also never quite say exactly what it was. It can also simply have been a mixture of everything, David Sheff's lax parenting and ambivalence in Nic's early years and also his early exposure to alcohol and drugs because of friends around him, and/or the pressures of traveling back and forth because of him parent's divorce and the pressure he felt being the only child for a while and also being labelled and touted as some sort of prodigy who can do no wrong also adds pressure to someone while lowering their accountability since whatever they may do or mess up is simply a "part of their process". It could've been all of these things together slowing building, or none. But as always, love and respect your videos man.
BRO!!!! I HAVE BEEEN LOOKING FOR THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN FOR YEARS! I saw the trailer on iTunes Trailers a few years back and i’ve always wanted to see it but I couldn’t find it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!
Honestly, I agree completely with your points on Bohemian Rhapsody!!!
The movie is soooo different from the book. They omitted a lot of things
Heidy Alexandra Nic’s addiction was spanned over ten years. There is no way you can fit everything that happened into two hours. And yes I read both of the books.
Reed Heard I know, but I still felt like they left out some key things. Still good, just different!
I felt the same way, the pacing was odd and i felt like the structure could have been a lot tighter. It didn't capture the spirit of the book at all imo. Great acting performance though
That’s what always happens. You can’t expect a movie to showcase every part of the book....that’s just ridiculous. It was good movie with great performances and I think we should appreciate it for what it is rather than what it should’ve been. ✌️
true! you can admit that a movie is not perfect and still have it be your fav! Wish people could understand that
i mean, as someone who read both tweak and beautiful boy before the film’s release, i can totally agree with your points. a lot of important stuff was omitted in relation to the mistakes david sheff made as a father. i think they may have glossed over that because it was more about the addict than the father? not sure. also i think nic’s mother was not put into the spotlight as much as the other members of the family because in both books, she doesn’t really get much mention...i think it all comes down to working with the source material.
The first time he gets clean is when he leaves his Fathers home and goes back living with his Mother. She gets no credit for that and when he relapses she is somehow to blame. Really didn't understand that aspect.
The memoir really went in depth on the topic
Your making some real good points on both movies.
Love what you did with this video! It's perfect!!!
acTually, the "why" was taken out, because that's not what matters. you don't need a reason to be addicted. You just try it and you're hook. Also, every rehab center says those things.
the movie made it seem like he had some deep reason or it was his anxiety. He felt controlled but what was it that was bothering him?
@@Shiro642 He did struggle with mental health a bit, but more than anything, it was just a chemical addiction. Meth actually increases dopamine which is a neurotransmitter and is one of your "happy" chemicals. You don't necessarily have to feel sad in order to be addicted. It's just a rush of the chemical and it feels so, i don't even know how to explain it. Addiction doesn't, as many people say, discriminate. That's the entire point of the film. The why doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, if the original issue is solved, your body is still addicted. The film really is just supposed to portray the struggles of getting clean.
See that so would have been a much better movie. Two divorced parents working together, a scene of her on the phone interviewing while with the police on the other line would have been wonderfully tense. It could have been such a more complex film. Instead it was rich kid does drugs parents save him by having money for treatments & the cops will help them.
I watched this movie and totally felt the same way! Especially the scene where the dad says: ‘I fucked up, and I’m sorry’ and I’m just thinking, dude, you are literally the PERFECT DAD! I felt for him, but his character in the movie seemed a little underdeveloped for me.
I think I understand the part when the father is so perfect; means that doesn't matter how perfect perent are you, even like that your son can fall into drugs, sometimes is not a father's fault
No parent is perfect. The parents generally play some role, no matter how "perfect" the family might seem.
I loved the movie, absolutely loved it. But I actually love it even more now that you've told me all this because it helps me fill in the gaps--yes, the father did seem too perfect looking back on it. Reading some of the below comments, I realize the movie makers didn't want to focus too much on the causes of the addiction. Although now I know this, I can read those causes in Carell's nuanced performance. Yes, the mother (and the women in general) did seem fairly absent. I think I was so caught up in the emotion and the great acting and cinematography that I forgot to be a critical viewer as well. Also, I hadn't read either memoir or the mother's article. Thanks for informing me!
What was special about the cinematography ?
MyName IsRamen I liked the way they framed the shots, chose unique angles (like the one where Timothee is in the car talking to his sponsor on the phone and the camera’s not quite focused on him but looking from behind the side of the car, I don’t know just little things like that that draw you into the emotion.) There weren’t explosions or super fancy transitions or anything but I felt “in” the story because of the way they filmed it. But that’s also just my personal experience watching it 😊
Oooiiiiii as a recovering addict I think that you must have cared for an addict or be one for the movie to affect you the way it affected me. Addiction is almost impossible to understand if you have no experience with it
So, do I have to have declared bankruptcy to know that people who have declared bankruptcy are just really shitty at managing money.
I think it would have been fascinating to tell the three perspectives of the mom, dad, and Nic separately and equally and then intertwine them. it felt more like the dad's story in the end....
we need more voices like this on the internet
Pumping out videos almost everyday
Love you boy, thanks for your videos
PLZ do what happened to Monday it's a Netflix movie
Caro Juno yes!!!
It’s trash lol
This movie was actually pretty good
@@anthonydominguez4744 fight me 👊
@@trippierainbow2061 yes that movie was pretty good
Sometimes I get all of the curly haired white bois mixed up you know the ones, Timothee Chalamet, Finn Wolfhard, etc
Doesn't that make you a racist?
Spenser i- pls say this is a joke
you deserve at least 10 000 000 subscribers
I felt like they should've read Nic's autobiography to get some insight into his "character" in the movie. When I was younger I read his book Tweak and didn't know about his dad's books til way later and it always sat with me the wrong way that people would focus on the dad more than the son who actually. You know. Went through this stuff. Not that the dad should be ignored as that's a tough time too but you couldve had a movie with a really balanced perspective of the two sides of drug addiction. But they didn't. And from the looks of the performance of Chalamet they really prepped up the "character" and changed him a lot from his dad's POV when in his books hes very a grungey hanging-in-his-friends-basement-and-doing-random-shit-for-giggles, cursing constantly type
I'll check it out when I get a chance. I hope it's good.
I completely agree with you when you say they never show Nic’s start with drugs and how in movies it’s usually well off kids that are getting into drugs but they never show WHY they get into them
The father did lose his temper in the film.....
i think you missed the entire point of this film. addiction does not have to have a ‘reason’ to happen. some of us are just unlucky with our brain chemistry and it happens. the movie is based on a real family and their story. i don’t know what would make you expect that a movie about addiction had to depict an ‘angry father’ to have it make sense to you. addiction is a complicated disease and isn’t easily explained. the relationship nic and david share is extremely rare. most parents do not want to deal with the struggle of a drug addicted child and unfortunately give up hope. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS A POWERFUL STORY. the father DID ALL HE COULD TO HELP HIS SON. it’s not about ‘why addiction happens’.
Dude I agree with you about the parent situation.
I always wanted a Michael and Holly spin-off.
Wow, that thing with mom doing interview and talking to police on the phone at the same time could be a great and powerfull scene! So sad they didn’t include her in the story as she was, cause she sounds like amazing woman and mother
I read Nic's book so I know his perspective more than his father's so I haven't watched the movie yet but I think that is the rub of doing a movie based on a parent's perspective when I relate more to the kid's experience of addiction with the context of his life before the setting of this movie.
I'm sure if the mother had a memoir out, as well, the movie would've been based on 3 books, not 2 ... but there were only 2, not 3. Nic Sheff and David Sheff's memoirs. The director, actors, producer have all clearly mentioned in many many interviews that that's what the movie was based off of ... those 2 memoirs. So of course, the movie would show more of the father's side of the story.
Dude I love your videos!
Hi i totally agree with you. i saw the movie and fell inlove with it. i then read the book Beautiful Boy and Tweak and damn they truly did leave out a lot in the movie. for example: nic going through the sex industry and his love for this woman who’s 22 years older than nic (and she played a huge part in nics life and in the movie she’s completely absent) i also agree with how they just didn’t really include the mom when in all honesty she did so much to get nic sober. I understand that the movies more “family friendly” ish but it just seems like the movie was more inspired by the books than based off them, if that makes sense.
One of the mane messages beautiful boy is that you don’t have to have a particularly hard life to become a drug addict. It can happen to anyone
It doesnt matter how good your life is, the brain is still constantly craving satisfaction, you can still get addicted