Guess who’s ruining Christmas this year? No, go on, guess. It’s 2018’s favorite troubled teen, Lucas Hedges. In Mid90s, Lucas bullied his younger brother to compensate for personal inadequacies; in Boy Erased, Lucas was gay in a straight world, and now Lucas Is Back as a former (and, presumably, future) addict. And everybody is just tickled pink about it. And by “tickled pink,” I mean filled with loathing and trepidation.
It is Christmas Eve in the Northeast (?) town of Whiteywhitesberg when Holly (Julia Roberts) arrives home with teen daughter Ivy (Kathryn Newton) to find Ben (Hedges) literally on her front door. Wait a sec. Rewind. This is a family with members named “Holly” and “Ivy.” Oh, good gravy. Ben, don’t you dare ruin Christmas for them … again. The reactions tell more story than any exposition: Holly is over the moon. She races to hug her teenage son and invite him inside. Then, she surreptitiously hides all the jewelry and prescriptions. Ivy doesn’t mask her dread, immediately phoning her step-father (Courtney B. Vance) and giving her older brother a stink eye you can smell for three counties.
Ben has ruined Christmas before, of course. It’s become annual tradition for the family Burns like the way some families hang ornaments or watch It’s A Wonderful Life. “Our tradition? Well, Ben shows up, gets into the prescriptions, then hocks mom’s jewelry for a quick fix.” Ben is in rehab, but has been “doing really well,” and was thus encouraged to go home for Christmas. Do we believe him? Hard to say. He looks genuine, but he’s an addict. And this is a movie, which means the action is likely going to steer in the direction that creates conflict.
Gosh, who would know better about Lucas Hedges’ ability to ruin holidays like his own real life father, writer/director Peter Hedges. Say, when your dad makes the film and casts you in the lead, do you get paid? Just askin’.
The driving force in Ben Is Back consistently follows the mystery surrounding how much we believe Ben’s stated motivations. With whom do we side? Ivy with “OMG, you’re going to ruin everything,” stepdad with “get your ass back to rehab NOW,” the young twins with “Yaaaay, our big brother is home,” or Mom who wants to believe the best, but insists upon the non-negotiable: “you’re in my sight at all times 24/7?” FWIW, the film follows mom’s POV. And for a film about Ben, we the audience, for good and bad, learn more about Holly than the titular subject.
If this film seems like a repeat of Beautiful Boy, it is. Ben Is Back branched into thriller mode by introducing elements of Ben’s past – which livened up Act III considerably- but the film is essentially a parent at odds with an addict child. This is as sad as parenting gets, of course – whatever dreams you had for your child get flushed away when they’re an addict. And given the opioid crisis in our nation, which is 100% applicable here, movies like this, I suspect, are only going to be more common. Does that make this film great art or a magnificent reflection on our times? Probably not. It’s not as in-depth a description of addiction as Beautiful Boy and the need to add a thrill both helped and harmed the picture considerably. Ben Is Back, however, didn’t shy away from the topic, nor display a lack of realism among Ben, Holly, and their peeps, so call it a cautionary tale and a good family conversation piece, but don’t be buggin’ Oscar or anything; he ain’t callin’.
♪It’s beginning to look a lot like Drugsmas
Hey, where is the dog?
Yeah the ugliest thought right here
One that can never endear
“What’s he doing with the Yule Log?”
A pair of molly reboots and a syringe that shoots
Is the wish of addicted Ben
He’s taken the toys from other girls and boys
To support his injected zen
No, that guy cannot hardly wait to get all jacked up again
It’s beginning to look a lot like Drugsmas
Stash your supply now
And the nastiest sight you’ll see
Is your coked-up prodigy
Sprawled out there sans trou♫
Rated R, 103 Minutes
Director: Peter Hedges
Writer: Peter Hedges
Genre: Children ruining the holidays
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Parents of addicts
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The intolerant
♪ Parody Inspired by “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”
