Ben Is Back
It is a dramatic story that tells about Ben Burns, who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. It seems that Ben's wary mother Holly Burns welcomes her beloved son's return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm's way. In any way and during the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family's downfall.
9 July 1960, Fort Motte, South Carolina, USA
30 November 1947, Bronx, New York, USA
7 September 1953, Odessa, Texas, USA
10 September 1954, Lafayette, Indiana, USA
1 December 1976, New York, New York, USA
May 31, 2008 in Brooklyn, New York, USA
February 24, 2019
The performances are great but Ben is Back does feel unnecessarily formulaic in places.
February 08, 2019
Despite its Hollywood gloss - it's a Julia Roberts film, after all - the film does venture into some of the grittier realities about those stricken with addiction.
February 07, 2019
Features good and incisive writing from Peter Hedges (who also directs) and effective performances from Roberts and Hedges... But not even their work can quite justify their increasingly tedious and unbelievable surroundings.
February 27, 2019
While the film seems to drag on at times, it succeeds in sustaining the suspense surrounding their reunion.
December 27, 2018
The miniaturization of scope ends up making everything feel intensely melodramatic, while the frenetic, breathless editing -- capably realized by Ian Blume -- transforms even the most innocuous kitchen argument into a drug-induced fit of mania.
March 04, 2019
A stimulating drama thanks to stellar performances from Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges. [Full Review in Spanish]
December 20, 2018
This is an intimate, incredibly tense drama about a troubled family battling raw emotional pains, a bare-bones and bare-knuckled look at the destructive powers of addiction.
January 10, 2019
"Ben is Back" is one of those awards season films that looks on paper to be a slam dunk: Mother and child relationship, drugs and drama is a cocktail for Oscar gold. In this case, the dunk is a dud.
February 27, 2019
The climax is a well-crafted cat-and-mouse game and is perfectly enjoyable on its own. But one wishes it had not been triggered by so silly a premise.
December 30, 2018
Unfortunately, by adding cumbersome elements to the narrative, it ultimately detracts from the core human story and causes the viewer to leave the film dissatisfied...
December 19, 2018
The movie's real achievement lies in Roberts's performance, which is possibly her best. Holly is incandescent with worry. She's good and kind and intimate.
January 29, 2019
Showy acting is popular, but I think Peter and Lucas Hedges...do their best work in the quieter moments, in which they take us deep inside a problem that has tragic consequences for so many people.
