Exploring family relationships and addiction in ‘Beautiful Boy’

“Beautiful Boy” was produced by Amazon Studios and was originally a memoir written by David Sheff. The narrative is based on the true story of a young man’s struggle with drug addiction.

In the film, David Sheff is played by Steve Carrell and the son, Nicholas Sheff, is played by Timothée Chalamet. The acting Carrell and Chalamet exhibit is incredibly engaging and realistic.

While I was not a huge fan of the pacing and how the story was told, the film did well in showing the type of relationship the Sheff’s have. With the father being divorced, Nicholas must travel states away to see his mother. However, he does not seem upset with this, though the struggle and difficulty is made clear.

We see Nicholas go into a rehabilitation center, or clinic, to help him ease off his drug use in the beginning of the film and already seems to be getting better. However, addiction is a tricky road, so eventually he turns back to drugs. This is an ongoing issue through the film and it shows how overcoming a battle like this can be. 

The film does well in showing the affect Nicholas’ drug use has on his family. His siblings, father, stepmother and friends watch Nicholas get to a point where they thought he would die. Emotions are heightened, and anger and frustration are explored very well. Nicholas’ youngest siblings are unaware of what’s going on with their brother, and his parents are constantly shown to be frustrated because they are unable to help. Carrell’s character struggles and the audience sees him spiral into a depression, second guess every action of his son and watch his son struggle knowing he can’t do anything. 

Chalamet’s character, on the other hand, was complex. He portrays a very likeable, attractive young man who is passionate about writing, loves his family and feels so much for a girl he met in class. We see him struggle between right and wrong, and eventually, he becomes unlikeable. 

One aspect I would like more insight on was the stepmother. There was a moment in the film where Nicholas is caught stealing stuff from his father’s house to sell. His stepmother, at this point, has had enough. It’s not until this moment, which is close to the end, that we see her completely breakdown. This is the first time we see the complexity of her character.

This film is raw, as is the memoir. I think it does very well showing all sides of the story and how Nicholas got to the point he did. However, since so much had to be crammed into such little time, we don’t get to learn enough about the other characters. Every character in the film has a fresh perspective that could’ve taken center stage and provide a refreshing narrative.

You can watch “Beautiful Boy” on Amazon Prime Video, or buy it to stream later. You can also purchase the book for more on the story at all your local bookstores.