Beautiful Boy (2010)

Directed by: Shawn Ku

Starring: Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, and Kyle Gallner

Genre: Drama

Rated: R

A once loving family has long since stopped communicating. With their only son away for his freshman year at college, Kate (Bello) and Bill (Sheen) go through their monotonous daily routine, leaning ever closer to divorce. When Sammy (Gallner) goes on a shooting spree, taking his own life and those of several classmates, they have no choice but to band together against the media and public outcry, even when their own relationship is extremely fragile.

This movie is not an easy one to watch. The subject matter is dark, and the overall film is depressing. Yet, it is a film that I feel needed to be made. With such tragic acts of violence occurring so often in our society, we often blame the parents of the perpetrators. This film was rather daring in its focus on the negative effects an event like this can have on those the shooter leaves behind. It was nice to see another side to a story like this, rather than focus on the carnage involved in these scenarios.

The film did a great job depicting the grief the Kate and Bill were feeling, as well as how they were ostracized by people they once called friends and neighbors. The press staked out their home and offices, so they had to hide out with relatives. Their lives become very rough, and the viewer can’t help but wonder why Sammy would be so selfish as to do this to his family.

The only thing I wanted after the credits rolled was more about Sammy. All we really know about him is from his parents’ perspective and the few snippets of him at school. It’s obvious he is depressed and feeling overlooked, like no one ever listened to him. The only sense of his character is given through the short story that he reads, bookending the film. A story which is beautiful, but no one seems to understand. Yet through this story, and Gallner’s brief portrayal of this troubled young man, the viewer gets a sense of desperation and an urge to hug him – despite the awful things he’s about to do, and even after he does them.

The performances in the film were all top-notch. Sheen and Bello gave honest, moving performances as the grieving parents. Their pain was almost tangible, and while I didn’t always agree with some of their actions, I understood them. I also loved Alan Tudyk as Kate’s brother, Eric, who takes them in for a while. He just comes off as such a loving, funny guy, and the brief scene where he is playing with his son is so adorable that I can’t help but smile. While Moon Bloodgood did a great job as Trish, her character irritated me a lot, and I felt she caused a lot of unnecessary drama. She could have been a little more compassionate than she was. 

This is one of those films that it is very hard not to get emotionally involved in. I can’t call it enjoyable, because, with such subject matter, how could it be? What it is is a solid story with believable, sympathetic characters, great acting, and an honest view from a new perspective. 

8/10