Ben Is Back

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Susan G Powerful. Well done and tasteful. I hope everyone gets a chance to learn from this story. Bonus: Julia is A1+++ Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/11/24 Full Review Jeff M I found the first half of this film quite compelling as we are introduced to the characters involved and become quickly intrigued by Ben's unexpected return home and the varying emotions that his arrival evokes. Roberts and Hedges are compelling and successfully elicit both sympathy and frustration. And then halfway through, the film makes a drastic 180 degree turn that leaves behind the character development and becomes more of a thriller that relies on an increasingly hard to swallow series of events that feel more like screenwriting conceits than true to life drama and strain credibility. That's too bad, because the first part is so strong that I was really rooting for it to continue on a path of greatness. Everyone has their hearts in the right places, but by the end, after one too many coincidences have occurred, you may find yourself rolling your eyes rather than wiping tears from them. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Audience Member Ben is back but is he really? Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts co-star as son and mother along with Courtney B. Vance and Kathyrn Newton A teenager Ben Burns returns home just in time for Christmas Eve after being released from rehab His mother Holly is ecstatic about her sons return but tries to hide anything that'll bring back his drug addiction But something comes back to haunt Ben and he has to try and fix it Does Holly really know her son as well as she thinks she does? How much more trouble is he knee deep in? She will do anything just to have him back from before he went away This is a very slow moving drama being more of a character piece There's virtually no music throughout Yet the film really gets by on both Roberts and Hedges' performances My only real problem was the ending; it doesn't really wrap up as it just stops The first half is so much different from the second half that's for sure and this has a more direct to video feel to it Yet both performances are magnetic despite it straining credibility in many parts The actors alone should be viewed for this Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/07/23 Full Review Nina B Boring. All I was worried about during the last hour was the dog. Don't waste your time. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Amazing movie. So well done. It is very realistic. I think this film will help addicts stay sober. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/23 Full Review John B I'm a fan of Julia Roberts and her work, but I didn't particularly like her in this one. The story itself was a difficult subject and I think the main actors did a good job with the script given, but it just didn't appeal to me how it was delivered. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/02/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Ben Is Back

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