Beautiful Boy

Play trailer

2:05

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.

Watch on Prime Video

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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

Jess S

Absolutely incredible film. Both Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet are brilliant and work together so well. It is not a light watch but incredibly emotive and a truly beautiful piece of cinema.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/20/25

Full Review

Shy S

Just an amazing move

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/25

Full Review

Anna O

Yes, it coasts and just that, but this was required to portray how these drugs can disrupt a somewhat normal existence even when there is no clear cause. The film touches on every part of addiction and Timothée’s acting skills meticulously illustrated the vulnerability and fear of victims.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/29/25

Full Review

Rodolfo G

I'm not sure if it's because I took a sensitive moment, but beautiful boy came to touch sensitive fibers more than one occasion. I wasn't looking for anything and found a simple movie, with a great message and above all honest. To what extent is it healthy for you and the people around you to continue trying to maintain a relationship? In the end, I think that's what's important, the message it conveys, and that's why it ends up winning the audience. It doesn't matter how much you want to save someone, if that person doesn't want to save himself, no matter how much it hurts, you can't do anything.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/25

Full Review

Patrick M

this movie had best score i have heard in a long time. amazing character performances dealing with a sensitive subject. i loved it. will hug my kids tighter tomorrow. P.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

Full Review

Ken C

This movie did not follow the book at all and the jumping around past to the present with out context made it very difficult to follow. If I had not read the book first I would have been completely lost

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Skin

Trial by Fire

63%

74%

Trial by Fire

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Trial by Fire

Stronger

91%

81%

Stronger

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Stronger

The Front Runner

58%

40%

The Front Runner

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Front Runner

Bleed for This

70%

70%

Bleed for This

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bleed for This

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Beautiful Boy: Exclusive Interview

5:52

Beautiful Boy: Trailer 2

2:05

Beautiful Boy: Trailer 1

2:24

View more videos

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now