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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Boy Erased (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
This is a tough one to get into, not because of the subject matter but because the beginning is just so slow. I actually sat there wondering if this was the movie I had thought I was going to be seeing when I walked in.
Let's just start by saying that Nicole Kidman is genuinely the best thing about this film. You can feel her shame, and the love she feels for her son... and all of that through the horrendous wig. The wig people are definitely out to get her in these recent films.
Boy Erased certainly doesn't pull any punches. There are two scenes in particular that are brutal and quite shocking, but they hit on completely opposite ends of the scale for me. The first sees a relationship develop between Jared and his male friend at college, this leads to a rape scene that should have a massive impact on the film but it somehow didn't. The second is at the conversion program and we see one of the members getting beaten by his family, this one had some very powerful performances. Two shocking scenes that should surely hold similar impact and yet they don't.
There is a break in this film that takes it from bad to good, that divide comes when the conversion therapy enters the story. Before that point nothing seems to hold much weight. Had there been something at the beginning that alluded to the latter part of the film then that incredibly long set up could have been forgiven.
When it comes to the acting it's really all over the shop. As I said, Nicole Kidman knocked my socks off as the leading lady, but when it came to the leading men I was a little underwhelmed. Crowe's performance didn't make me feel anything about his character, possibly because most of his role appears in the beginning of the film where it feels like nothing happens. Until he was able to start developing Jared's character with his interactions with other group members Lucas Hedges' offering wasn't much to write home about either. I could probably go on for ages about the supporting cast but there's good, there's bad, and there's unnecessary, but I'm sure that all the characters are there for a reason.
The story is an important one and had the scope to be amazing but somewhere along the line some choices were made that meant momentum was lost very early on in the film.
What you should do
I think it's worth a watch, but do be aware that it takes a while to reach its stride.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I think we could all do with Nancy's ability to realise her mistake and rectify it against such powerful opposition. "Shame on you, and shame on me!"
Let's just start by saying that Nicole Kidman is genuinely the best thing about this film. You can feel her shame, and the love she feels for her son... and all of that through the horrendous wig. The wig people are definitely out to get her in these recent films.
Boy Erased certainly doesn't pull any punches. There are two scenes in particular that are brutal and quite shocking, but they hit on completely opposite ends of the scale for me. The first sees a relationship develop between Jared and his male friend at college, this leads to a rape scene that should have a massive impact on the film but it somehow didn't. The second is at the conversion program and we see one of the members getting beaten by his family, this one had some very powerful performances. Two shocking scenes that should surely hold similar impact and yet they don't.
There is a break in this film that takes it from bad to good, that divide comes when the conversion therapy enters the story. Before that point nothing seems to hold much weight. Had there been something at the beginning that alluded to the latter part of the film then that incredibly long set up could have been forgiven.
When it comes to the acting it's really all over the shop. As I said, Nicole Kidman knocked my socks off as the leading lady, but when it came to the leading men I was a little underwhelmed. Crowe's performance didn't make me feel anything about his character, possibly because most of his role appears in the beginning of the film where it feels like nothing happens. Until he was able to start developing Jared's character with his interactions with other group members Lucas Hedges' offering wasn't much to write home about either. I could probably go on for ages about the supporting cast but there's good, there's bad, and there's unnecessary, but I'm sure that all the characters are there for a reason.
The story is an important one and had the scope to be amazing but somewhere along the line some choices were made that meant momentum was lost very early on in the film.
What you should do
I think it's worth a watch, but do be aware that it takes a while to reach its stride.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I think we could all do with Nancy's ability to realise her mistake and rectify it against such powerful opposition. "Shame on you, and shame on me!"
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Ben Is Back (2018) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
We seem to be knee deep in movies like this at the moment, Ben Is Back being the second from Lucas Hedges. This one is penned and directed by his father, Peter Hedges, though it doesn't appear that he was a shoo-in for the role.
After seeing Boy Erased I wasn't overly sure about Hedges as an actor, if I'm honest this has done little to sway that opinion in me. I don't feel like we get a massive range from him, possibly because these movies all feel like they've been made to win things over everything else? I'm not sure.
Hedges performance is brought up a level by the incredible performance from Julia Roberts, that woman truly is a treasure. The desperate nature of her character is so evident in every scene, wanting to do anything she can for her son and trying to fix everything. I don't think there was a single point where she faltered, and the part she played in the ending was immensely emotional.
There's also a solid support cast in Courtney B. Vance and Kathryn Newton. They drew in the much-needed family element which could have been lost to all the scenes with Ben and Holly out on their own.
You have to compare this to Beautiful Boy, it's difficult not to. They could be the same film, Ben Is Back just edges ahead for me though. I wasn't overly keen on the main actors in either film and both were carried by their parental leads. Both cover the drugs topic well from their own angles but here I felt we got a much better look at the family impact.
This rounded out a very emotional double bill at the cinema and what I actually came out thinking wasn't about this film in particular but that this year has given us some fantastic mum performances. Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman have managed to use their films to prove that they're giants in the acting world.
What you should do
I'd add Ben Is Back to my list of films to watch at least once.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
All I would really like is an attic that was as easy to get into as theirs.
After seeing Boy Erased I wasn't overly sure about Hedges as an actor, if I'm honest this has done little to sway that opinion in me. I don't feel like we get a massive range from him, possibly because these movies all feel like they've been made to win things over everything else? I'm not sure.
Hedges performance is brought up a level by the incredible performance from Julia Roberts, that woman truly is a treasure. The desperate nature of her character is so evident in every scene, wanting to do anything she can for her son and trying to fix everything. I don't think there was a single point where she faltered, and the part she played in the ending was immensely emotional.
There's also a solid support cast in Courtney B. Vance and Kathryn Newton. They drew in the much-needed family element which could have been lost to all the scenes with Ben and Holly out on their own.
You have to compare this to Beautiful Boy, it's difficult not to. They could be the same film, Ben Is Back just edges ahead for me though. I wasn't overly keen on the main actors in either film and both were carried by their parental leads. Both cover the drugs topic well from their own angles but here I felt we got a much better look at the family impact.
This rounded out a very emotional double bill at the cinema and what I actually came out thinking wasn't about this film in particular but that this year has given us some fantastic mum performances. Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman have managed to use their films to prove that they're giants in the acting world.
What you should do
I'd add Ben Is Back to my list of films to watch at least once.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
All I would really like is an attic that was as easy to get into as theirs.