Ben Is Back follows a story of a young addict returning home for holidays by putting the lives of his family members and those who he had affected as an addict dramatically changes within 24 hours. A triumphal performance of Julia Roberts as the mother, who is fighting for salvation of her child, is probably one of the best of her career. Lucas Hedges, who plays Ben, also son of the director Peter Hedges, is on a phenomenal rise, appearing in not one but two Oscar-worthy performances this year, proving that Hollywood can still hold on the line with decent young actors such as Hedges as old talents slowly fade out. A passionate project that is ambitious, raw and tender, centered on the redemption addicts can get from their family.

Ben is Back has been directed really well. All actors have done an excellent job. I always felt that movies can't do what books do to me, but this movie proved an exception. I felt all shaky with emotion at the end of it. I really really hope that everyone suffering from addiction gets help just like Ben. Please, may everyone find real peace and happiness.

So, Lucas Hedges is having quite a year. A bully in Mid 90s, a gay teen who must endure conversion therapy in Boy Erased. And now in Ben is Back he is a recovering addict whose opioid addiction has caused major problems between him and his family. Directed by Peter Hedges, who also happens to be Lucas' father, this is a simple but effective film that deals with a crisis that many parents have to face. This one quietly arrived in theaters but its one to watch.

The film is about Ben, who recently returns home having been sober for 77 days. His mom wants to give him the benefit of the doubt although she is weary about whether he is using or not. Ben soon realizes that his old ways catch up to him and it causes a danger to his family. Ben tries to wrong the rights and fight off the temptation of the past, and his mom (played by Julia Roberts) strives to remain at his side to make sure that she doesn't lose her son.

I like the recent waves of films that are covering drug addiction. Working in that counseling field I see it daily and see what a problem it is. You can never be clear of your demons and relapse is a normality. I think Lucas Hedges has one of his strongest performances yet, not that that's a surprise because he's good in everything. Best Julia Roberts performance in a while as well, at least for me. Its a simple plot and takes place over the course of a day or so but its a deep story that engulfs you from the opening scene.

I don't know if this is going to get award season love but I'd like for it to get nominated for its original screenplay and some acting plaudits. Its easily identifiable, and the characters are strong and driven, a testament to the actors who commit to the performances. Wouldn't have minded this thing being 10-20 minutes longer because not a minute is wasted here.

7.5/10

Writer/director Peter Hedges did a better job on his 4th directorial film than he did with his story. The 103 min length was decent, but the pacing felt really slow and lacked any luster or peaks in its screenplay. The message was strong and powerful, but I think it was under-emphasized and too typical to get a powerful message across, well, powerfully. The casting was great and all performances were very convincing. This film is certainly a must see to open the eyes of society on how addition can destroy many lives, not just the person addicted. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I see it again? No, it lacked that luster and oomph for me to want to see it again. It's a 7/10 from me.

Greetings again from the darkness. So many families have been thrown into turmoil due to a loved one's drug addiction. Count writer/director Peter Hedges among those, so know this is more than just another film for him ... it's personal. Mr. Hedges previous work includes the underrated PIECES OF APRIL (2003) and DAN IN REAL LIFE (2007), as well as an Oscar nomination for his ABOUT A BOY (2002) screenplay. This time out, he cast his own son Lucas in the titular role of Ben. It was a wise choice.

When your son is checked into drug rehab, and you pull up to your house on Christmas Eve and see him pacing in the front yard, should your first reaction be total joy or immense trepidation? Are you thrilled to see him or worried for your other 3 kids - each who is in the car with you? Such is the moment for Holly Burns (played by Julia Roberts). With excitement from her two youngest, and pleas of "no" from her teenage daughter Ivy (Kathryn Newton), Holly bolts from the car and embraces Ben (Lucas Hedges), her eldest and most self-destructive child.

What follows is the ultimate example of inner-conflict for both mother and son. Holly is simultaneously happy to see her son and apprehensive for his well-being and that of her family. Ben is putting up an "all is well" front, while carrying the guilt of lying through his teeth. This initial sequence is by far the most powerful segment of the movie, and adding punch to these scenes are Ms. Newton and Courtney B Vance as Holly's husband and Ben's stepfather. Lucas Hedges and Kathryn Newton are immensely talented and two of the fastest rising young stars. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, and she is recognizable from her work on "Big Little Lies".

After such a strong beginning, the story falters quickly as it spreads outside of the family home. At the local shopping mall, mother Holly spews vicious venom at the doctor who first prescribed the pain killer for Ben's sports injury. She blames the now dementia-riddled doctor for ruining her son's life - it's an all too obvious and overblown moment of a parent needing to place the blame elsewhere. Soon after, we truly fly off the rails as mother and son treat us to a tour of the cities drug-related highlights. When the family dog goes missing, most people post on Facebook for help. Not this family. They hop into the car and revisit all the drug havens and dealers from Ben's past. Of course, we do get the obligatory drug recovery meeting where Ben's soliloquy praises his mother (she's in attendance) and shows remorse for his many sins.

Every parent will understand the desperate feeling of mother Holly here or father David (Steve Carell) in BEAUTIFUL BOY, a similar-themed movie released earlier this year. We are also familiar with the deceptive and often dangerous actions of addicts, even those who were raised in our home. So while we are flexible in our judgement of Holly, Ms. Roberts' performance is just too showy and over-the-top here, though she'll likely be lauded for a dramatic role with only minimal dependence on her usual acting quirks. The first third of the movie is outstanding, however the rest comes across as an attempt to create intense drama when there's already plenty.

In the many treatments of troubled young men this year (Boy Erased, Beautiful Boy, Burning, to name ones I'm aware of), Ben is Back is the most affecting. Ben (Lucas Hedges) has bolted from his rehab clinic to spend time with his loving family. Although the film devolves into a quasi-thriller, the first half or so depicts with alarming clarity what it means to have a heroin addict in the house, even for a day. It's hell.

His Mom, Holly (Julia Roberts), is the one most acutely aware about hiding anything that her son might use to get off the wagon. Holly is one of the strong women characters for this year, reminding that Roberts has the chops to pull of a heavily dramatic role, as she did in Erin Brockovich and August: Osage County. Hedges, like Roberts, gives a performance of his much shorter lifetime.

The household stress is shifted when Ben's pet dog is stolen for ransom to lure him back into the dealer game. Director Peter Hedges (father of Lucas) has mom and son searching for the dog but also for a connection that can erase Ben's addiction. Finding the dog is the action to make the film come alive and to show the audience the scary world of drug dealers.

By moving the action to the search outside the home, Hedges has lost the demanding drama of family adjustment including the teen sister, Ivy (Kathryn Newton), the two younger siblings, and the tough-love Dad, Neal (Courtney B. Vance). The world of dealers we have seen before, but such a slice of upper-middle class turmoil has been too infrequently portrayed. Even Beautiful Boy didn't involve the audience as much as Ben is Back does.

By adding the dealer turn of the screw, Hedges has revealed the convoluted and pain-giving world of addiction, now planted firmly in homelife, where even the streets must compete for tragedy and despair. Although Ben is Back has formulaic elements and an unfortunate clustering with other young-men lost films this year, it stands alone in revealing the horror addiction unleashes at home

This movie gave me the a feeling of incompletion. The acting is really great, the story off beat, but Ben´s mom is depictes almost as impeccable. So the whole plot becomes like a glimpse of an episode of something, but then it finishes. Produced for a different agenda, maybe. Amazon? Rather unsatisfying, although the opioid crisis is an important social issue. Good to be addressed, but this movie left me with the feeling of having wasted my time, unfortunately.

In my opinion, the trailer, once again, is the entire movie.

I found myself so bitterly angry and both Ben and Holly through the entirety of the movie. Holly, as the typical enabler, wants to blame everyone but Ben for his drug addiction.

It's the doctor's fault for prescribing him pain killers after his snowboarding accident. It's the history teacher's fault for giving him codeine and other pills. But when Maggie, Ben's childhood friend, whom he got addicted, dies, that's not Ben's fault.

In a sick and twisted quest to "save her baby boy" she puts herself and her entire family in danger. Forget her husband and three other children. Ben is all that matters.

And then, just when you're about as angry as you can be. The end.

Movies over.

Hope you weren't wanting any closure.

The Story: I was waiting for the "highlight" of this movie the whole time.... nothing! Nothing extremely scary or sad or shocking, just very flat. Didn't really get my full attention. At the end of the movie, my reaction was "that is it?"

The Directing: Julia Roberts did a wonderful job portraying being a mom who loves so much about her children. She put in so much emotion. Unfortunately, the script wasn't that excellent. No scene was very memorable.

Lucas Hedges continues to impress me with his performances (the church scene was a real heartbreaker), but Julia Roberts really blew me away as the carrying mother who will do anything to protect her son.

A parent dealing with their child and substance abuse, but Roberts and Lucas were the only two that were needed to make this story work. As a former cocaine user (thirty years clean now thank God) The story was OK. Nothing to write home about because I've seen much better films on the topic of drug addiction and substance abuse. I myself am a living witness on how drugs destroy lives and breaks a mother's heart. Overall a decent watch.

This film tells the story of a teenager who goes back home from rehab for Christmas.

The story is really good, because it completely captivates and touches me. I find every part of me rooting for the characters at the end of the film. Tears fall regularly. The most amazing thing is that, even given the dark subject matter, the film manages not to feel sombre or depressing. I find myself lost in thoughts after the film, trying to feel the characters' hopes, dreams and pain. I think this film is a must see.

This movie chronicles 24 hours in the life of a family after the oldest son comes home from rehab one Christmas eve.

The first part of the movie is good in it's illustration of the chaos and disruption drug addiction has on a family when one of their own is addicted.

The story starts out strong but delves in to unbelievable scenarios such as when the addict son goes after the drug dealer after a break in and theft of the family pet.

Good acting by both Julie Roberts and Lucas Hedges.

"Ben Is Back" (2018 release; 103 min.) brings the story of Ben and his family. As the movie opens, it is Christmas Eve and Holly is watching her kids at their church choir practice. Upon returning home, Holly is stunned to see her son Ben waiting for them. It turns out Ben has been in rehab, but left the rehab place so as to spend Christmas with his family. Holly's teenage daughter (and Ben's sister) Ivy thinks this is a huge mistake. "This time it will be different', Holly tells her. When Holly's husband (and Ben's stepdad) Neal comes home, he insists that Ben must return to his rehab. After arguing, Holly and Neal compromise: Ben can stay for 24 hrs. but Holly will be with him every waking second... At this point we are less than 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from writer-director Peter Hedges ("The Odd Life of Timothy Green"). Here he delves into a topic that is getting much attention these days: a parent dealing with their son's addiction. The entire movie plays out over that 24 hrs. period that Ben shows up out of the blue. The big news is of course that Hedges cast his (Oscar-nominated) son Lucas Hedges as the addict. This is the 3rd movie in a span of 2 months I've seen starring Lucas Hedges: "Mid90s", "Boy Erased" and now this. He truly is one of the up-and-coming talents in Hollywood. But even better is Julia Roberts as his mom Holly. She perfectly conveys the sense of terror and desperation as she tries to keep control of the situation. "We can't save them, but you'll hate yourself if you don't try", comments a woman who lost her daughter to addiction. Which leads me to that other recent movie about the very same topic, albeit brought in a dramatically different way: "Beautiful Boy", starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. When comparing these two films, the shortfalls of "Ben Is Back" become evident very quickly, in particular in the movie's last 45 min. when there are questionable plot holes the size of Manhattan for no apparent reason. In the end, "Ben Is Back" still is worth checking out for the strong performances of Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges. Kathryn Newton (as Ben's sister Ivy) also does quite well. But let's be clear: "Beautiful Boy" is the better movie.

"Ben Is Back" premiered at this year's Toronto International Film Festival to good acclaim. It finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (6 people, including myself). I honestly can't see this playing in theaters very long. For that the movie is too downbeat, even more so considering that we are in the Christmas-New Year's holidays. Maybe this will find a wider audience once it expands onto other platforms (and away from the year-end holidays). Either way, I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Sadly, this film, with a story that should tear us to shreds and leave us scattered all over the room, failed to convince me on any level. Whether the screenplay, direction, editing, or acting, I just never believed. Julia Roberts tries her darndest but can't overcome the weak writing; it's the first time I've ever found the amazing Ms. Roberts to be ineffective. Lucas Hedges, thus far terrific in other roles, is too obviously "acting" here. Likewise the rest of the cast fails to convince at any point.

The whole thing looks like one of those films that was shot in 10 days. And everybody looks like they're trying way too hard to make it work. For me, it just didn't.

I saw "Ben is Back", starring Julia Roberts-Money Monster, Valentine's Day; Lucas Hedges-Lady Bird, Labor Day; Courtney B. Vance-The Mummy_2017, Space Cowboys and Kathryn Newton-Big Little Lies_tv, Lady Bird. This is a movie about a drug addicted boy coming home for Christmas. Lucas plays the addict, Julia and Courtney are his parents and Kathryn is his sister. It's Christmas Eve when Lucas shows up on his family's doorstep, saying that his sponsor gave him the OK. After everything Lucas has done in the past-to support his drug habit-nobody trusts him. Julia hides things-prescription drugs, jewelry,etc-and tells Lucas that she is going to be by his side during his entire visit. She even goes to the bathroom with him. She also gives him drug tests. Lucas tells her that everything is fine and he is clean and sober. But, is he? In case you don't know, drug addicts lie. It is a dilemma. I guess this would be interesting to people having their own close experiences with drug addicts but I didn't care for it that much. It's rated "R" for language and drug use and has a running time of 1 hour & 43 minutes. It's not one that I would buy on DVD. Unless you are more interested in the subject matter than I was, I would wait for it to come to cable tv.

I was thoroughly engaged throughout this film. And I probably should be. I am 32 years old with a mother who died when I was 26 to a heart attack from a drug overdose, and a father that died at the beginning of 2018 from alcoholism and liver failure. I have two brothers who went through drug addiction growing up in their teens through twenties, and my aunts were in Julia Roberts shoes in this movie.

I was even like the sister here - cracking jokes everyone they tried to get clean and not trusting them; getting them into trouble. My aunts, so desperate to get them clean, did anything they could to help. And I mean anything. Thinking that it would be their last time or it would be the time they finally got better.

I am writing this because I read a review saying that Julia Roberts character was unbelievable - her going through this entire journey to find Ben. And I'm here to say that yes it is unbelievable but it's also very much a real thing. I watched it. I watched aunts travel through the streets of Detroit in the dead of winter to find my brothers, i watched them get literally shot at as they grabbed them to take them home. This may seem like some lifetime movie that could never happen - but it does. And it happened to me.

This movie requires people who have never experienced this to accept it as fiction or some stretched reality. But for those of who lived this, it's a reminder of what we've gone through. And to call this unbelievable is probably justified - because it is unbelievable the things family will go through for their loved ones. Unbelievable and impossible are two very different things. The things this mother did is very possible, and very real, albeit unbelievable. Family is unbelievable when it comes to saving the ones they love.

For anyone wondering, my two brothers are both 6/7 years clean and doing much better than we ever thought they could. And yes, I have saved my brothers life before- I watched him cough up black tar as his entire body "locked up" from a reaction and called 911 for them to save his life. And while i laid on the floor next to my mother crying as she laid lifeless, and watched as the doctors shook their head as they couldn't save my father, I still know that there are people that need help and that should get help- and if a movie like this can even one person go the extra set to help someone who needs help - than these movies are worth more than the world.

Lucas Hedges had a wonderful start of a career. Attractive, and born to rich Hollywood connected parents, he was given opportunities to star in some really great films that most actors could only dream of, and he did well in them. Lately, however, he seems in over his head. His acting in Ben is Back and Boy Erased was just not believable. I am concerned he is turning into the next Jaden Smith with his parents giving him more than he is ready for, and him thinking he deserves it all and more.

The writing and direction by Lucas' dad was pretty weak.

Julia Roberts married to a domineering black man, and driving her son around to drug dens? Get serious people.

Lucas willing to kill himself to rectify a situation in which a drug dealer who is owed a debt has his crew break into Lucas' family home, kidnap the family pet, and hold it hostage as leverage, while being careful not to do too much damage or steal anything, and never once expressly threatening any real harm to the animal? Yes, you read that right. Not to mention that the drug dealer forgot to tell Lucas that he is holding the pet hostage, causing Lucas to spend all night looking for his lost lil buddy. Huh?

Crime bosses that look like they could get beaten up by the residents of your local nursing home, obsessed for months, if not years, about getting revenge for unpaid balances of less than $1,000? How slow can business be?

A serial addict over-dosing on one hit?

Women walking up to Lucas and saying "you're hot!"? Knowing that this was written by his dad, that is one proud papa, not to mention slightly creepy.

Gay sex for drugs with your high-school teacher? If you want to go for shocking, you have to at least try to be original.

It goes on and on.

I was hoping for a great independent film about addiction, but this is not it. If you want to see that, watch Requiem for a Dream. It is everything this movie is not. Another option, but not as epic as Requiem, would be Beautiful Boy. I like Lucas, but Lucas Hedges v. Timothée Chalamet is no contest. It is an interesting comparison in that Lucas and his dad are trying desperately to get Lucas on the same career trajectory as Timothee (i.e., Timothee does Call me By Your Name and Lucas follows with Boy Erased, Timothee does Beautiful Boy and Lucas follows with Ben is Back). However, whereas Timothee always shocks with a mind-blowingly convincing performance, Lucas is just pretty good.

All that said, I enjoyed the movie. Mainly because I find it fascinating to see what happens when you write a movie because you are 100% obsessed with your son achieving super-stardom by any means necessary. Talk about a case of stage parenting gone wild. Just wait for it to be released on cable and realize it is grade B at best.

This move is so poor in script... making it not likely to believe, it gets you out of the fictional world. Dialogues are constructed in a way the information you get is forced and not smooth as its supposed to be. Also the camera movements gives you the sense this is a reality show and not a movie... something that can be used in defense to say this is used to make it feel "real" and daily basis but the other things are so bad constructed that it just doesn't have that point. Very disappointing. Cant believe Julia said yes to this nor Lucas Hedges, which is a very good rising actor (I guess because this was a movie made by his father)

Good subject, but Poor Story and Script killed any Box office chances of success. The acting is good but the story sucks and the script is poor. There was no chemistry between Julia and Courtney. A single wealthy mom with only two kids would have been better. Holly blaming a retired MD in the Mall for causing her son addiction to street drugs is the most stupid quote I have heard this year. It takes a lot of talent and skills to write a good tragedy. This is not it, Peter!

Was okay but what an ending. It just left you wondering "Is that it?". Just wasted my time.

Lucas Hedges was good but just didn't dazzle me in any way. Julia gives so much and his subtlety - or blandness - left me wanting more. Would have loved to have seen someone new with more edge essay the role.

Ben is Back was a remarkably touching movie so close to the heart. A highly underrated movie with Julia Roberts proving yet again the essence of acting. How could this movie or at least Julia Roberts not be an Oscar Winner, or even more so, how does Rami Malek (his performance not even close to Freddie Mercury...) and as for Lady Gaga - REALLY!!!

This is one of the best movies I have watched in a long time! This is definitely a must see!

Julia roberts is superb. She is an actress of a lifetime. People need to see how great she performs in this film