Ruthless, raw, and honest. That describes to a tee Alma Har’el (LoveTrue, 11/8/16) Honey Boy, the film based on writer Shai LaBeouf’s (The Peanut Butter Falcon, Borg Vs. McEnroe) own childhood experiences with his father. Showcasing events over two time periods, the 2005 version of Otis Lort (Lucas Hedges – Manchester by the Sea, Ben Is Back) is a 22-year-old, rising movie star who has had violent, alcohol-induced brushes with the law. His latest DUI has landed him in a court-ordered rehab, where he is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), something which he steadily denies. As part of his therapy, he is pressed by his counselor (Laura San Giacomo – Havoc, Sex, Lies, and Videotape) to dig deeper and pen out the events in his life that have led him to this point. At this point, we continually go back and forth between the 1995 and 2005 timelines.
In 1995, an eleven-year-old Ottis (Noah Jupe – A Quiet Place, Ford v Ferrari) is a kid working in Hollywood who is on the verge of becoming the next great child actor. His father, James (LaBeouf), a former rodeo clown, accompanies Otis wherever he goes, throwing around child labor laws whenever his son works more than he feels that he should. With sideburns, a receding mullet, and a potbelly that he subconsciously tries to hide through oversized Hawaiin shirts, James is an erratic, impractical father and guardian to his bright and mature son. It’s unclear if James is looking out for Otis’s best interest as well as his own or if he is only looking out for his own. James earns his money from Otis’s roles and his successes. With Otis taking care of him financially, his father would have no source of income. This is something that both Otis and James are keenly aware of. James is a Vietnam War veteran, an alcoholic who has four years of sobriety, and a registered sex offender. His life has gone off the rails, and he hedges his bets on his talented son in hopes that he can become the famous actor that he could never be.
His mother enrolled Otis in the local Big Brother program. Otis has a great relationship with Tom (Clifton Collins Jr. – Triple 9, Brothers), a role model his father cannot provide. The jealous James agrees to let Otis go to a Dodgers game with Tom if he can first meet him. The three have a barbecue at the motel’s pool. James is initially friendly, wanting to know as much about Tom as possible. But even though he has all of the correct answers, it’s clear just from knowing James as we do up until this point that it’s clear that Tom has no chance. The scene ends with James tossing the fully dressed Tom into the pool and violently threatening him with a tirade that causes us to quiver.
James fumes with envy as his son lures more attractive acting offers. The unbearable father is edgy. He is aggressive. He is detestable. However, there isn’t much he can do because Otis supports him financially. So he hits his son. He mocks his son. He makes his son do pushups when the two juggle balls of rolled-up socks, and he drops one. He pushes cigarettes and then marijuana to his young son. He never allows Otis to be the young boy that he should be allowed to be.
The rage continues to carry over ten years later as the 22-year-old Otis confesses his story, telling his therapist that she’s trying to take away the one thing that his father ever gave to him…his anger. Hedges may not look much like LaBeouf, but he certainly sounds like him and has his mannerisms down. This portion of the story took a backburner to the eleven-year-old story, which dominated 75-80% of the time. So often in my reviews, I complain about the length of movies these days, but at just 93 minutes, I wanted Honey Boy to be longer. In fact, I didn’t want it to end. 22-year-old Otis’s story needed more of a finish. 22-year-old Otis’s ending was abrupt, whereas we got the scene between eleven-year-old Otis and his father that had been mounting from the film’s earliest scenes.
The ultra-talented LeBeouf was better than ever, bringing out the best in Jupe, his much younger counterpart. I never felt like I was watching a movie, an attribution to both actors. Jupe held his own against one of Hollywood’s heavyweights. Hedges was less compelling but was still convincing enough to be believable. And the next time this guy smiles will be the first time he’s smiled in his last five movies. And that’s not a criticism. He’s an up-and-comer, but man, does he play characters who are going through their turmoil.
In any case, run, don’t walk to your local cinema to see Honey Boy. It’s one of the best movies of 2019.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 9.5/10
Acting 10/10
Screenplay 10/10
Directing 9.5/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
95%
B+
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