If you've heard of the films 'Beautiful Boy', 'Boy Erased' and 'Ben is Back' and are getting confused, don't worry. You're not the only one.
The latter two films were released in the past couple of months while 'Ben is Back' arrives in Irish cinemas this week.
Their similar titles, storylines and even casting (Lucas Hedges stars in two of them) would get anyone confused so here's what each movie is about and what you need to know about them.
'Beautiful Boy'
'Beautiful Boy' stars Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet and is based on a best-selling pair of memoirs from father and son, David and Nic Sheff. Carell plays David, while Chalamet is Nic, a drug addict who is caught in a vicious cycle of rehab, recovery and relapse. It's a powerful story about how drug addiction impacts the whole family unit. You can read our review for it here.
'Boy Erased'
'Beautiful Boy' and 'Boy Erased' may share the word 'boy' in their titles, and both take young American men as their protagonists, but the likenesses end there. 'Boy Erased' follows the son of a Baptist priest who is forced into a church-supported gay conversion therapy program. It's a highly emotive film and, like 'Beautiful Boy', addresses some pretty tantamount subject matter. You can read our review for 'Boy Erased' here.
'Ben is Back'
So this is the film where things get a bit confusing. While the storyline of 'Ben is Back' is more akin to 'Beautiful Boy' - in that both films look at how the son's drug addiction impacts his whole family - it stars 'Boy Erased' lead Lucas Hedges. The fact that Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet previously co-starred in 'Lady Bird' is another coincidence that may add an extra layer of confusion. 'Ben is Back' sees its titular character surprise his family by showing up at home on Christmas Eve. Its second half verges into more thriller-like territory than the conventional family dramas which are 'Beautiful Boy' and 'Boy Erased'.
In any case, all three provide compelling, thought-provoking watches. Read our review for 'Ben is Back' here.
