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Ben Is Back

2018

Peter Hedges

Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton ...

6.2

3,464

Drama Follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben's wary mother Holly Burns (Roberts) welcomes her beloved son's return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm's way. During the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family's downfall.

	Author	Review
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"What is so moving and effective about Roberts’s work here is her shrewd subversion of her long-established persona."	POS
United States	Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"Roberts and Hedges pour their hearts and souls into the unflinching and unforgettable addiction drama (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Peter Debruge Variety	"[It creates] the sense that the lives of each of its richly shaded characters continues even when she or he is not on-screen"	POS
United States	John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"Nerve-racking but not bleak or without humor (...) One of the best things Roberts has ever done"	POS
United States	Rex Reed The New York Observer	"[it] doesn't sugar-coat the harsh reality of this family's struggle (...) [it] frames it with an abundance of life, love and hope (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Benjamin Lee The Guardian	"There are good intentions and good performances here, but they’re squandered in a movie that isn’t quite sure what it should be and how far it should go (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	Johnny Oleksinski New York Post	"Although 'Ben' can get a little sentimental at times, Roberts and Hedges are a team to root for (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	David Edelstein New York Magazine	"[It] makes you dream of a world in which no one needs movies like 'Ben Is Back'"	POS
United Kingdom	Benjamin Lee The Guardian	"There are good intentions and good performances here, but they’re squandered in a movie that isn’t quite sure what it should be and how far it should go (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	David Ehrlich IndieWire	"Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts’ excellent performances drive a raw and sobering addiction drama (...) Addicts constantly lie, but this film does not"	POS
United States	Stephanie Zacharek Time	"The movie is so assertively about the social issue at its heart-the way opioid addiction tears families apart-that it barely leaves room for its characters to breathe."	NEG
United States	Christy Lemire rogerebert.com	"The performances remain uniformly strong and hold the story together, even as it threatens to spin out of control (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Steve Pond The Wrap	"Roberts in her most substantial and most powerful role in years (...) This is really the Julia and Lucas show, and both are more than up to the task."	POS
United Kingdom	Wendy Ide Screendaily	"A well-rounded package of perceptive writing, impressive performances and a really great dog."	POS

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