Beautiful Boy is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Felix van Groeningen, in his English-language feature debut. [13], Beautiful Boy had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2018, with the cast and director in attendance, along with David and Nic Scheff making a surprise appearance after the premiere. Despairing, Nic overdoses, but he survives. | He is definitely a rising star. Returning home, David senses that Nic is using again, and Nic leaves of his own accord, feeling claustrophobic from his dad's suspicions about his drug use. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. When he learns Nic has gone missing again, David prepares to look for him, but Karen protests that he has done everything he can for Nic, and he cannot do anything to fix his addiction, which David heartbrokenly accepts. Back at the rehab facility, Nic reveals that he has been taking numerous drugs, including crystal meth. Last year Timothee was the recipient of the festival's rising star award for his role in 'Call Me by Your Name.' Beautiful Boy sees Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell delivering showcase work that's often powerful enough to make up for the story's muted emotional impact. Nic has a fresh start in Los Angeles. If [his fame] can help bring young people to the cinema, I can only applaud it. David later gets a call from a New York hospital saying Nic has overdosed. [11] In February 2017, Timothée Chalamet was officially cast in the film as Nic Sheff, opposite Carell as his character's father. The screenplay, written by Luke Davies and van Groeningen, is based on the memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff. New York Times writer David Sheff’s teenage son Nicholas (Nic) goes missing, reappearing in their home two days later. [13] Chalamet was instructed to lose weight a couple weeks before the filming of the "hospitalization scenes," and subsequently rested to recover in order to complete the rest of the shoot. The studio and producers were announcing that they would use the recently published books to frame a picture about drug addiction, from the perspective of both a young meth addict and the father who finds himself helpless to stop his son's downward spiral. Beautiful Boy Golden Globes: 1 Nomination Based on the best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse, and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years. ... Chalamet gives a heartwarming, but tragic performance as a young man struggling with drug addiction in the film 'Beautiful Boy. At first they go undetected, but David's other son Jasper notices Nic, and both David and Karen go to find them. [19] Prior to filming, van Groeningen arranged for two weeks of rehearsals with the cast, a common practice in productions in his native Belgium but not in Hollywood. "Beautiful Boy First Reviews: An Authentic, Powerfully Acted Portrait of Addiction", "Cameron Crowe Had A Script About Meth Addict Nic Sheff Rejected By Brad Pitt's Plan B Shingle? Days later, Nic disappears, and David finds him in the streets. “Beautiful Boy” was shut out of Oscar nominations altogether. The film stars Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan, and deals with a father-son relationship increasingly strained by the latter's drug addiction. Later that night, Nic drives into San Francisco, where he runs into Lauren, a fellow drug addict from his past, and confesses his desire to "party," despite having been clean for quite some time. The film was actually inspired by actress Phoebe Miller who the song Beautiful Boy was written about. Nic eventually completes his rehab program, and seeing his improvements, combined with wishful thinking, David allows him go away to college on his own, to become a writer. Fourteen months sober, Nic drives to visit David and his family. [5] For his work, Chalamet earned nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTA Awards and Critics’ Choice Awards, among others. During a happy family dinner at his girlfriend's parents' house, Nic finds a bottle of pills in their medicine cabinet and swallows one. [14][15][16][17][18] In April 2017, Andre Royo joined as well. "Spirit Awards Nominations Predictions: Bet on 'Beale Street,' 'BlacKkKlansman,' 'Can You Ever Forgive Me? "[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews. [8] In December 2013, it was reported that Mark Wahlberg was circling the role of David Sheff, with Crowe still attached to direct. Metacritic Reviews, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Supporting Actor - International Competition, Film Performance of the Year - Supporting Actor, Best Contemporary Makeup - Feature-Length Motion Picture, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Performance by an Actor 23 and Under, Best Supporting Young Actor - Feature Film. Beautiful Boy is a 2018 American biographical drama film directed by Felix van Groeningen, in his English-language feature debut. Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture. Initially Nico Leunen, van Groeningen's long-time collaborator, was not involved in the project; however, van Groeningen became dissatisfied with the editing process and brought Leunen to Los Angeles to reconstruct the film. But when you drop twenty pounds and you are under a rain machine for eight takes in a T-shirt—your body doesn't know you're acting. Last year Timothee was the recipient of the festival's rising star award for his role in 'Call Me by … Spencer gives Nic moral support over the phone, but to little avail. [9], In 2015, Variety announced that Belgian director Felix van Groeningen had taken over as director, with a new script written by Australian writer Luke Davies. [28][29], On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 69% based on 246 reviews, with an average rating of 6.52/10. Karen chases them in their car but stops and lets them drive off. Snub: “First Man” gets shut out of main categories. Seeing Nic back to his old self, interacting happily with his two younger half-siblings, David is proud of his son's newfound sobriety, as is his wife Karen. [10] In January 2017, it was reported that Steve Carell and Will Poulter were attached to star in the project, as the father and son, respectively. The family come home, and the two quickly depart. Closing titles reveal Nic has been sober for eight years, and it would not have been possible without the love and support of his family and friends. David and Vicki visit him in the hospital, and David and Nic tearfully embrace. The screenplay, written by Luke Davies and van Groeningen, is based on the memoirs Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff and Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff. Maisel', 'Ozark' Lead Way – The Full List", "Toronto International Film Festival Reveals First Gala And Special Presentation Titles For 2018", "Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners", The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beautiful_Boy_(2018_film)&oldid=983996287, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Kue Lawrence as 4 and 6-year-old Nic Sheff, This page was last edited on 17 October 2020, at 14:56. Beautiful Boy Awards and Nominations. He added, "while we deliberately did not choose a [well-known actor] at the time of the auditions... there is less burden, now of course, it's great... Nobody had foreseen that he would suddenly become world-famous, but it is completely deserved. The two buy various drugs in the streets, which they proceed to inject together at Lauren's place, where they have sex. "Timothee Chalamet gives a heartwarming, but tragic performance as a young man struggling with drug... More, "Timothee Chalamet gives a heartwarming, but tragic performance as a young man struggling with drug addiction in the film 'Beautiful Boy. [13], Principal photography began on March 27, 2017 and lasted through May 2017 in around Los Angeles and San Francisco. One day Nic and Lauren break into the home while David and his family are not there, and retrieve some valuable items. The film stars Steve Carell, Timothée Chalamet, Maura Tierney, and Amy Ryan, and deals with a father-son relationship increasingly strained by the latter's drug addicti… Lauren overdoses, but is revived by Nic and is sent to the hospital. On one of the last pages, Nic writes of his difficulty obtaining meth in college, but that he managed to score some heroin. | RELATED. External Reviews Progress is made, and Nic transfers to a halfway house, with the agreement of Nic's doctors. User Reviews The film grossed $16 million on a $25 million budget and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Carell and Chalamet. [22], The first scenes shot for the film were the most intense, according to van Groeningen, and involved Chalamet's character being hospitalized for a drug overdose. "[13] In March 2017, Amy Ryan, Maura Tierney, Kaitlyn Dever, Timothy Hutton, and LisaGay Hamilton joined the cast of the film. Oscar nominations led by ‘Roma,’ ‘Favourite’; historic nod for ‘Black Panther’ “Mary Poppins Returns.” [6] In 2011, it was announced that writer and director Cameron Crowe had written a script based on the books. COPYRIGHT © HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION. | Around this time, beginning to become suspicious at his slowly changing behavior, David decides to read Nic's diary.