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Beautiful Boy

Play trailer 2:05 Poster for Beautiful Boy R Released Nov 2, 2018 1h 52m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
68% Tomatometer 265 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Teenager Nicolas Sheff seems to have it all -- good grades, editor of the school newspaper, actor, artist and athlete. When Nic's addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his desperate father does whatever he can to save his son and his family.
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Beautiful Boy

Beautiful Boy

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Critics Consensus

Beautiful Boy sees Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell delivering showcase work that's often powerful enough to make up for the story's muted emotional impact.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Kermode & Mayo's Film Review I would be lying if I didn't say that I found it moving. Jan 29, 2019 Full Review Ryan Gilbey New Statesman Beautiful Boy has a remorseless emotional integrity... It is frustrating, repetitive and inconclusive, and all the more admirable for it. Jan 26, 2019 Full Review Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard I loved watching it. It's fantastically enjoyable. Rated: 3/5 Jan 20, 2019 Full Review Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) Sadly it’s a case where a lot of its components work in isolation, but not as a whole. Rated: 2/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Ryan McQuade InSession Film Maybe it was the talent behind the camera that brought it down, but we will never know if someone with a little more of a focused eye and pen could have done with the Sheff's story. Rated: D- Apr 3, 2024 Full Review Karen Gordon Original Cin Chalamet conveys all of the necessary contradictory emotions to portray an addict, paradoxically both in love with, and repulsed by, his own tendencies and actions. It's bravura work. Rated: B+ May 2, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Wyatt My complaints were that some of the music choices just did not fit the scene well, some scenes didn’t make a whole ton of sense and weren’t given enough detail and explanation, and the ending was a little frustrating and not quite what I was hoping for. But there were some absolutely phenomenal scenes scattered throughout the film that were elevated even more by the performances Carell and Chalamet gave, where they did a great job of capturing the relationship between father and son that got me teary eyed. Besides the few flaws it’s overall a solid film and I recommend you watch it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/21/25 Full Review Jerod S Beautiful Boy gets performances from Chalamet and Carell that are moving and frustrating. The whole movie is frustrating - but in a way that really highlights the pain of addiction and the hurt it causes families. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/18/25 Full Review jack o I have always considered myself a tough dude. I can’t even remember the last time I shed a tear. I was even starting to think that maybe my tear ducts had dried up or shrunk due to years of inactivity. That was until Beautiful Boy… 3 times… this film made me cry 3 times… Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/13/25 Full Review Fiorella G Beautiful Boy deserved way more attention than it got. With almost no promotion and barely any theatrical presence, it quietly delivered two powerhouse performances from Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. The film doesn't romanticize addiction: it presents it in all its painful, cyclical, and emotional complexity. Scenes like the infamous “Who are you, Nic?” diner moment hit hard because they’re rooted in real, lived experience. Whether or not you've been affected by addiction or mental illness, the story resonates on a deeply human level. It’s a raw, intimate drama that pulls no punches and it’s time more people saw it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/30/25 Full Review Esteban C father, love, pain, family, drugs, guilt, son. a hard but necessary story told in the most beautiful way possible. a hidden gem. a masterpiece. stellar acting and casting. perfect ambiance. astonishing editing and direction. it felt like a perfect summer watch, except that i wasn’t as light or as bright. an experience. a not so perfect, yet visually astonishing vibe through and through. such a perfect movie in so many ways. it truly was everything. everything Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/24/25 Full Review Yarin B I didn't thought I was gonna cry, this is a sad movie, I didn't expect it to be this much of an emotional hit, Timothy chalamet and Steve carell acting are insane, the perfect chemistry in each situation is bold and perfect, the director did a great job, overall I see that movie a very educational, sad, and relatable in some ways, Steve and Timothy did a really top and great job, I am really have nothing bad to say about nothing, I know this is kinda harsh, but words can't describe what I felt/feels about this excellent movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Beautiful Boy

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Movie Info

Synopsis Teenager Nicolas Sheff seems to have it all -- good grades, editor of the school newspaper, actor, artist and athlete. When Nic's addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his desperate father does whatever he can to save his son and his family.
Director
Felix van Groeningen
Producer
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
Screenwriter
Luke Davies, Felix van Groeningen
Distributor
Amazon Studios
Production Co
Plan B Entertainment, Amazon Studios
Rating
R (Drug Content Throughout|Brief Sexual Material|Language)
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 2, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.6M
Runtime
1h 52m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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