Boy Erased

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2:11

Boy Erased

R

Released Nov 16, 2018

1h 55m

Biography

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

266 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Jared Eamons, the son of a small-town Baptist pastor, must overcome the fallout after being outed as gay to his parents. His father and mother struggle to reconcile their love for their son with their beliefs. Fearing a loss of family, friends and community, Jared is pressured into attending a conversion therapy program. While there, Jared comes into conflict with its leader and begins his journey to finding his own voice and accepting his true self.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored in empathy by writer-director-star Joel Edgerton, Boy Erased proves the road to complex, powerfully performed drama can also be paved with good intentions.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Boy Erased is careful to humanise Jared's parents as loving, but wrongheaded. If anything, it's too respectful of their damaging views.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 14, 2019

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I applaud the message of the film.

Feb 12, 2019

Full Review

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

The film feels thin, drab and ultimately unable to harness the collective power of its otherwise talented cast.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 10, 2019

Full Review

Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

It provides some interesting moments of drama and some insightful observations. But it feels emotionally lacking when all is said and done.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 14, 2024

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Boy Erased scans as, and turns out to be precisely, textbook Oscar-bait: it’s topical, its heart is in the right place, the cast is stacked, and despite all good intentions the final effect is very meh (“powerful” is a word I expect to see used a lot).

Jan 5, 2023

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

A deft touch is brought to a delicate subject matter that downplays rather than heightens, even as harrowing as scenes can be.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 17, 2022

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Cathy S

Excellent movie, great acting

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/24/24

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Audience Member

The ideas behind it are good but the story line is so incredibly boring its unreal. Literally nothing happens its just the same thing over and over again. No drama or love interests or anything. I gave up with half an hour left because i was just so bored. I dont recommend.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/19/24

Full Review

Steven James R

Hated What The Movie Was And Is About And What They Did To The Guy In Reality. More Reason To Hate Homophobics And Churches. Emotional Movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/24

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Jeff M

While there is inherent drama to be found from the actual subject matter, this movie itself is sadly pat, predictable and lacking in any subtext or true emotion. What we have here is a movie that feels like an ABC TV movie from the late 1980s. None of the characters are particularly well written, and they actually border on stereotype. As a result, not even actors of this caliber are able to breathe much life into them. Crowe suffers the most, and it's hard to determine whether this seemingly lackluster performance is a result of the actor or the screenwriter, or perhaps a combination of both. This reminded me of another 2018 film, BEAUTIFUL BOY, which was also a movie with vital subject matter that seemed to collapse under the weight of its good intentions. Its heart is in the right place, but the execution is average at best.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/24

Full Review

Georgan G

Good movie about the tragedy of so-called "conversion therapy." Well written and acted. Hopefully, very few of these horrible "therapies" remain.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/27/23

Full Review

Aaron S

This story is an important one even if its effect comes off a little muted compared to its subject matter. Don't get me wrong, this is a good movie with great messaging - but given what it is dealing with, the emotional payoff doesn't QUITE match. The true story is wonderfully told and the acting is brilliant (particularly from Kidman), but I just wish the weightiness felt more consistent throughout the film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/23

Full Review

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Joel Edgerton

Director

Lucas Hedges

Jared Eamons

Nicole Kidman

Nancy Eamons

Joel Edgerton

Victor Sykes

Russell Crowe

Marshall Eamons

Flea

Brandon

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Boy Erased: Official Clip - A Fateful Phone Call

2:20

Boy Erased: Official Clip - A Manly Shape

3:32

Boy Erased: Official Clip - Play The Part

1:47

Boy Erased: Official Clip - Mental Torture

2:52

Boy Erased: Official Clip - I'm Not Going to Change

3:15

Boy Erased: Official Clip - Gay Blood Test

1:56

Boy Erased: Official Clip - There's More To The Story

2:50

Boy Erased: Official Clip - Trapped In The Camp

3:16

Boy Erased: Official Clip - Jared Comes Out

3:23

Boy Erased: Official Clip - I'm Not Angry!

3:26

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Boy Erased: Featurette - Becoming Jared

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Boy Erased: Trailer 2

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Boy Erased: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Jared Eamons, the son of a small-town Baptist pastor, must overcome the fallout after being outed as gay to his parents. His father and mother struggle to reconcile their love for their son with their beliefs. Fearing a loss of family, friends and community, Jared is pressured into attending a conversion therapy program. While there, Jared comes into conflict with its leader and begins his journey to finding his own voice and accepting his true self.

Director: Joel Edgerton
Producer: Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Steve Golin, Joel Edgerton
Screenwriter: Joel Edgerton
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Blue-Tongue Films, Anonymous Content
Rating: R (Brief Drug Use|An Assault|Sexual Content|Some Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 15, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.7M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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