Ben Is Back
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Movie Details
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Videos & Photos
- Official Trailer (02:32)
- Teaser Trailer (01:06)
Movie Info & Cast
Synopsis
19 year-old Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges) unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben’s mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe. Ben is Back also stars Courtney B. Vance (“The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) and Kathryn Newton (Lady Bird).
Cast
- Julia Roberts
- Lucas Hedges
- Courtney B. Vance
- Kathryn Newton
- Rachel Bay Jones
- David Zaldivar
- Alexandra Park
- Michael Esper
- Tim Guinee
- Myra Lucretia Taylor
Letterboxd User Reviews
3.3
46.9K
9.0K
6.8K
- Dec 12, 2018
they couldn’t decide whether to cast timothee chalamet or lucas hedges as the skinny white twenty-something recovering drug addict of 2018 so they just decided to do the same movie twice
andrea🌹Dec 9, 2018look, i understand there are a plethora of reasons not to love this, but understand the three reasons that i do: 1) lucas hedges vaping... a lot 2) julia roberts telling an old white man to die in a mall 3) lucas hedges and i bumping into each other after the screening…
kyleMar 15, 2019julia roberts invented motherhood as far as i know
owen -
lucas hedges isnt just aiming for the oscar hes aiming for all 5 nomination slots
JayFeb 6, 2020when lucas hedges cry i cry that’s just how it works
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗Sep 8, 2018A more nuanced and sobering addiction drama than some viewers might expect from the man responsible for gentle schmaltz like “Dan in Real Life” and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” Peter Hedges’ “Ben Is Back” is the kind of white, middlebrow, ruthlessly effective look at…
davidehrlich - Sep 17, 2019
The emotional family drama dealing with addiction gets driven by the spectacular nuanced performance of Julia Roberts and her effective mother-son bond with Lucas Hedges. The second half does get a bit off the hook with an underwhelming climax, however it still ends up a…
Michael JamesNov 26, 2018Completely absurd, patently offensive, very likely the stupidest and most naively silly drug movie since REQUIEM FOR A DREAM.
matt lynchDec 23, 2018The first half of this is surprisingly good. Roberts is wonderful, the drama is simple but effective, and the script wades through the moral complications at play with an admirable level of nuance. The second half is quite bad. The framing device absolutely ruins the film,…
Kevin Y
Queue Community Reviews
83%
Community 639
Top Reviews
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Alivia lovedBen Is BackIt was such a good and emotional movie
Sophie is "meh" onBen Is Backthis went into a completely different direction than expected. it feels so exaggerated, it's more a mafia film than a recovering addict kind of thing 🤷🏽♀️ also, the ending is just plain stupid, there is no conclusion at all...
megan likedBen Is Backtearjerker, mommy issues asf especially if you use substances a lot. stupid ending tho ngl wish there was like 5-10 min more 7/10
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madison doorn likedBen Is BackKinda slow, beautiful boy is a better version with a true story. Probably wouldn’t watch more than once
Megan Hamm lovedBen Is Backvery good, cried at ending left me very much on the edge of my seat
mackenzie likedBen Is Backi really don’t like julia roberts but this movie was so good
- Sana likedBen Is Back
I enjoyed watching it, can be a slow burn for some people
Karina likedBen Is BackAn emotional rollercoaster
Gabe lovedBen Is BackMade me feel something
Atom Users Reviews
POPULAR TAGS
Reviews
- ALAndy Lopez
Took my girl to see it thinking it was gonna be good based off the trailer and critic score..., but it was a total let down. From beginning all the way till a hour and a half into the movie it was just plain n nothing happening. The ending was not good as well. Left the…
AKAvery KlaphakeOne word... damn.
LGLeigh GastonNot an easy one to watch but so important. Realistic struggle.
- DMDavid Movitz
Great movie. Intense and true to life.
CDCraig Daughertyoscar awards winning performances
BTBenjamin TaylorIntense and an emotional roller coaster ride. Bring tissues it gets sad with the choices the characters have to make throughout the movie!
- EGEdgar Garcia
Such amazing movie that talks about substance abuse and the effects of it. Great movie to open eyes.
MWMelissa WatkinsPhenomenal movie! Julia Roberts was amazing!
JBJonah BoudreauxHated the ending.
Metacritic
Dec 20, 2018
Ben is Back, operating with the flexibility of fiction, flirts with the idea that a mother’s intuition and love can be decisive, even as it acknowledges the pitiless, relentless nature of the disease. Or maybe all the movie wants to propose is that miracles — rare as they are — can happen.
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
Dec 16, 2018
The film doesn’t glamorize addiction, or make it irrationally melodramatic, or gussy itself up in bespoke tragedy. (The same cannot be said of Beautiful Boy.) It’s all just right—even if “just right” is just O.K.
K. Austin Collins
Vanity Fair
Dec 13, 2018
The whole cast does a phenomenal job. The movie is worth seeing purely for their performances, especially Newton, who gracefully balances the role of a caring yet apprehensive sister.
Samantha Incorvaia
Arizona Republic
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ben Is Back (2018) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
How long is Ben Is Back (2018)?
The movie is 1hr 43min long.
What's Ben Is Back (2018) about?
19 year-old Ben Burns (Lucas Hedges) unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben’s mother, Holly (Julia Roberts), is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe. Ben is Back also stars Courtney B. Vance (“The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) and Kathryn Newton (Lady Bird).
Who's the cast of Ben Is Back (2018)?
- Julia Roberts as Holly Burns
- Lucas Hedges as Ben Burns
- Courtney B. Vance as Neal Beeby
- Kathryn Newton as Ivy Burns
- Rachel Bay Jones as Beth Conyers
- David Zaldivar as Spencer 'Spider' Webbs
- Alexandra Park as Cara K.
- Michael Esper as Clayton
- Tim Guinee as Phil
- Myra Lucretia Taylor as Sally
Who's the director behind Ben Is Back (2018)?
Peter Hedges directed Ben Is Back (2018).
Who produced Ben Is Back (2018)?
Jane Nerlinger Evans, Dan Friedkin and Micah Green produced Ben Is Back (2018).
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