Beautiful Boy

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2:05

Beautiful Boy

R

2018

1h 52m

Biography

Drama

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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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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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Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I would be lying if I didn't say that I found it moving.

Jan 29, 2019

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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

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

I loved watching it. It's fantastically enjoyable.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 20, 2019

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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

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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

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Sarah H

This is a top 5 movie for me on so many levels. It's though provoking and gives a new face to addiction through Steve. I was beyond moved and I think it helps others relate and learn more about having a family member struggle with addiction. Its a movie that I recommend to all of my friends, but one that is a hard second time watch unless you want your heart broken again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/16/25

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Brooke A

genuinely the most beautiful movie ive ever seen. i think both timothee and steve deserve an oscar for this, especially with steve never playing very serious roles. definitely chalamets best movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

Full Review

Danny C

A deeply moving and realistic portrayal of a hard addiction, carried by Carell's and Chalamet's depiction of a close and loving father and son who are torn apart. There are not many easy answers in life, and even less so in something like hard drug addiction, so it was fitting that the plot was a bit repetitive even if that could be frustrating to the viewer. How do you save someone? Even when loving that person more than everything in the world forever isn't enough? All that's left in the end is the last scene, a father holding his dying son and hoping for a miracle, but already starting to grieve. Recovery is possible but it's never certain. Beautiful film, four stars only because of a few editing choices which made the timeline a bit confusing in some parts. If you watched this and felt nothing, check your pulse.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/24/25

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Jon R.

Beautiful movie but wow that was one of the most depressing hardest watches I’ve ever endured. Was very tough for me

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/20/25

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Nicole D

This is an absolute beautiful movie. this would definitely be the best movie to watch for anyone who has struggled with any addiction. It was an amazing film and it depicted how much drugs can change a person. The acting was incredible, in fact I’ll go as far to say this is the best acting performance I’ve ever seen. This is definitely one of those that is a a must watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/15/25

Full Review

VEX K.

If I had to say, this would definitely be the best movie to watch for anyone who has struggled with any addiction. It was an amazing film and it depicted how much drugs can change a person. The acting was incredible, in fact I’ll go as far to say this is the best acting performance I’ve ever seen. This is definitely one of those that is a a must watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

Full Review

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Felix van Groeningen

Director

Steve Carell

David Sheff

Timothée Chalamet

Nic Sheff

Maura Tierney

Karen Barbour

Amy Ryan

Vicki

Timothy Hutton

Dr. Brown

Skin

76%

82%

Skin

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for Skin

Trial by Fire

63%

74%

Trial by Fire

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for Trial by Fire

Stronger

91%

81%

Stronger

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for Stronger

The Front Runner

58%

41%

The Front Runner

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for The Front Runner

Bleed for This

70%

70%

Bleed for This

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for Bleed for This

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Beautiful Boy: Exclusive Interview

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Beautiful Boy: Trailer 2

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Beautiful Boy: Trailer 1

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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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