Filming took place in the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club, a country club located at 555 South Barry Avenue at the mouth of the Mamaroneck River. Ben Is Back Ending, Explained: Is Ben Dead or Alive. The storyline revolves around Ben Burns, an athlete dealing with opioid addiction. A woman takes her son to a cemetery and asks him where he wants to be buried. Ive been with you the whole time. Excuse me! The girl at the meeting. And Ben going from cocky and confident to reduced and regressing in age and fearful and apologetic You think Im an idiot. All right. Helmed by Peter Hedges, the 2018 drama Ben Is Back is a refreshing and nuanced addiction movie about drugs and how they affect society. Subscribe to learn more about the movies you love! And Ben has a secret. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, 14th Annual African American Film Critics Association Awards Recipients Revealed, Child of Graceland: Lisa Marie Presley (1968-2023), FOXs Accused Is An Emotionally Manipulative Void. SPOILERS AHEAD. Let us get to the ending. But Anastasia can be easily confused, I guess, so asks for a clear roadmap. He doesnt have the desperation that Timothe Chalamet displayed in Beautiful Boy that made that performance resonate. [12], According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 221 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. Unlike the MPAA we do not assign one inscrutable rating based on age but 3 objective ratings for SEX/NUDITY, VIOLENCE/GORE & LANGUAGE on a scale of 0 to 10, from lowest to highest depending on quantity & context |more|, Print a page, share with friends, and yes, please go ahead and email links. Added . Dolly seeks to accept Ben, but Ben has ways to mess things up. And then he reminds her, no, she didnt check everything. Stars: Dan Russell, Teresa Gallagher, Kerry Shale, Kyla Rae Kowalewski. He claims his sponsor thought it was a good idea for him to return home, to show how good Im doing. He then recounts a story of farts in a car that Holly thinks is hilarious. A young man and his mother argue in several scenes; the young man shoves his mother during one argument trying to get her to leave him. The moments between Ben and Holly talking in the kitchen or tackling crowds at the mall during some last-minute shopping are the films strongest. A woman confronts a doctor about prescribing drugs to her son at the age of 14 and says that she hopes he dies a horrible death. Holly follows in her car, finding Ben in a nearby neighborhood. Shortly after Neal and Holly argue over Ben's arrival, there's a scene focusing on Ben's interaction with his young siblings. Another scene shows Ben running into an old friend at the mall, who exclaims that he thought he was dead. He then says we need gas. As she follows Ben through an increasingly harrowing day and night, Holly gets a tour of an underworld that exists in the shadows of her sunny, stable reality. On a trip to . The production team supposedly lensed segments in Haywards Deli, a deli at 59 Orange Turnpike. [14], Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society Awards, "Making of 'Ben Is Back': How Director Peter Hedges Convinced His Reluctant Son Lucas to Star", "Julia Roberts And Lucas Hedges Team For Black Bear & 30WEST-Backed 'Ben Is Back', "Courtney B. Vance Joins Julia Roberts & Lucas Hedges In 'Ben Is Back', Julia Roberts project, filmed in Rockland, gets positive reviews, "Julia Roberts Drama 'Ben Is Back' Acquired By LD Entertainment, Lionsgate & Roadside", "Toronto: Timothee Chalamet Starrer 'Beautiful Boy,' Dan Fogelman's 'Life Itself' Among Festival Lineup", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ben_Is_Back&oldid=1132753122, Best Performance by an Actor 23 and Under, David Zaldivar as Spencer "Spider" Webbs, a drug addict and one of Ben's old friends, Jack Davidson as Dr. Crane, husband of Alzheimer female, Mia Fowler as Lacey Burns-Beeby, Holly and Neal's 10-year-old daughter and Ben and Ivy's little half-sister, Jakari Fraser as Liam Burns-Beeby, Holly and Neal's 6-year-old son and Ben and Ivy's little half-brother, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 11:23. Jennifer Lopez on Saturday appeared to finally confirm her relationship with Ben Affleck, posting a photograph of them kissing on Instagram and Twitter. (The films town is never identified, so it represents any/everywhereas in: this is a cautionary tale that could happen in your very own neighborhood!) It sure feels like it. Her tics and her smile are overly familiar, but her performance does work when she is being empathetic. And she thinks shes covered all the tracks. Ben owes Clayton a great deal of money since he takes a wad of cash and Dollys expensive necklace to make it square. You can help us keep our independence with a donation. Move sliders from 0-10 in any combination, check and uncheck MPAA ratings and use keywords to further filter results -- please let us know what you think. Ben Is Back takes place in snowy, idyllic, small-town New York, and Ben comes from a family of comfort and means. You can feel every conflicting emotion shes experiencing as she pulls up to the familys house with her other kids in tow and is stunned at the sight of her eldest, a hoodied 19-year-old standing awkwardly in the driveway. Hedgess film may speak truths about issues of addiction and recovery, and the hell that addicts put their families through, but it cudgels viewers by having the characters talk about rigorous honesty" and truth as they obviously and ironically lie and connive. Ben Is Back NYT Critic's Pick Directed by Peter Hedges Drama R 1h 43m By A.O. Was Ben Is Back, about an addicts unexpected return home, meant to be a holiday hate-watch? Clayton is not convinced by what Ben has to offer, and Ben has to do another job for Clayton if he wants to take Ponce back. And it works, mostly. Peter Hedges narrates a scene from his film featuring Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts. Therefore, the chances are that the guy who read the note called Dolly to inform Ponces location. Ben is Back or is he? The conflict is not his alone. Filming reportedly kicked off in late 2017 and continued through early 2018. But other scenes are directed with the pure suspense of a thriller. He exploited his wifes prescriptions to become a drug dealer, and Ben perhaps owes him some money. His survivors guilt never feels as palpable as her mothers (Rachel Bay Jones) grief. Ben's mom, Holly (Julia Roberts), is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Dolly seeks to accept Ben, but Ben has ways to mess things up. The crew filmed in North Little Tor Road and along the South Mountain Roads in the suburbs of New City. Writer/director Peter Hedges asks viewers and its main characters to spend an uncomfortable 24-hours together on Christmas Eve. ben is back mall scene "Bennifer" is officially back! When Ben heads out on foot to locate Ponce, Dolly thinks it is good to go with Ben. SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- More than 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine. Its been a long time. Technically, the film is a two-hander. Bens sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) is all eye-rolling cynicism at this latest outbreak of sobriety. Reports suggested that a few sequences in the film may have been lensed along Beach Avenue and Linden Avenue as well. Ben (Lucas Hedges) has no father and has turned to overdependence on prescription medication. She ends up at Maggies house, and Maggies mother, Beth, gives Dolly an emergency overdose kit. He has a secret. Pockets. This is humiliating. No, this is love. Hollys oblivious. Free to go. You didnt check my shoes. Then Holly becomes concerned. She may be too deep in her own suffering, and the film may be too absorbed in her feelings, to grasp that fully. REVIEWS A measure of privilege is baked into this assumption, and Ben Is Back is partly about the way the current scourge of opioid and heroin addiction has contributed to the demoralization of the American middle class. Lucas Hedges, like Timothe Chalamet in Beautiful Boy, the seasons other alliteratively titled tale of a young man fighting a drug habit, deftly captures the nuances of this condition. A man slams a passenger car window and pounds on the hood of the car as a woman and her son speed away. What they dont say to each other is as important as what they do say. Holly follows Ponce to the barn where she finds Ben unconscious, having taken the drugs from Clayton. Read our parents guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.. But part of her terror and ours, on her behalf comes from the sense that she is radically and brutally alone, and that the hundreds of thousands of parents in her situation are too. He blames himself for someone attempting to hurt his family. It enlivens a moralizing tough-love scene, as when Holly takes her son to a cemetery and asks him to pick out a burial site because he will soon be dead if he doesnt change. There is a scene where Julia Roberts' car breaks down. And then he reminds her, no, she didnt check everything. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. She seems like a woman accustomed to getting her way, not because she is complacent or overly entitled but because she expects the world to recognize the moral authority of motherhood. But she think she is. Ben Is Back Review: A Mother and Son Face the Horrors of Addiction, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/movies/ben-is-back-review.html. And then she checks him because she has concerns. Although Dolly has an outburst following this incident, she does not find the fresh batch she is looking for. Holly unleashes all her anger at this sick old man, who clearly has dementia an unflinching scene that feels real and raw in its emotional incorrectness. THE ASSIGNED NUMBERS Ben Is Back ends on a note of vague hope, but its a reminder that Christmas Day is just one more opportunity to take it one day at a time. Nevertheless, she hides the pills and jewelry, because they are triggers and temptations. In the nocturnal adventure, Ben visits the places of guilt to find a resolution for the present discontent. He tells Holly he needs to go to a support group meeting, where he later shares the story of how he almost overdosed, but was saved by his mom and the family dog, Ponce. Holly Burns returns from church on Christmas Eve to find her son Ben in the driveway; he has been in rehab for prescription drug addiction for some months, and says his sponsor said a trip home would be good for him. However, Mr. Richmond did not abduct Ponce, making Holly and Ben move on to the next house. A young man says that his mother found him upside down on the stairs with a needle in his arm and that his dog was trying to keep him awake. Ben, an addict 77 days sober arrives back at the family home unexpectedly. Prices of energy and food are rising rapidly. Add a gift receipt for easy returns. Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. If you feel like encountering Bens outcome, let us give it a try. All rights reserved. The project was announced in October 2017, with Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts set to star. Following Claytons order, Ben agrees to do the job, sticking several belts of drugs onto his body. See also A challenge in a movie like this for its makers as well as its audience is that there are few original or satisfying answers to any of those. he locks himself in a mall fitting room. US Release Date: December 7, 2018 Starring: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges Directed By: Peter Hedges Synopsis: Follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges), who returns home to his. Ben, unexpectedly home from rehab, scares almost everyone. When a young man doesn't remember a young woman, she tells him, "You were my dealer." Whereas it appears that a few shots were recorded outside the strip mall as well as the Haas Pharmacy at 62 Orange Turnpike. The plot follows a mother who tries to help her addict son after he returns home from rehab. The disease of addiction can afflict anyone, anywhere, Hedges reminds us, just as Beautiful Boy did earlier this year. His disease is acting through him, as if he were possessed by a demon that is also his double. The scale and depth of the horror are beyond anything she had imagined. A young man says, "The last time I didn't help someone, they died." Ben has been in rehab for quite a few months, struggling with an Oxycotin addiction. How does any addict? Happy to see him but Holly is also wary, as she does not want his instability to affect the other children. And the later scenes reveal that Ben has taken the drug nonetheless. But Julia Roberts puts everyone in the shade, even Hedges one of my favourite young actors (he played Casey Afflecks nephew in Manchester By the Sea). Upon the arrival she is first shocked and then overjoyed to see her. Ben has been in rehab since he nearly died after becoming hooked on painkillers resulting from a sports injury, a habit that eventually led to him selling drugs to young people in the neighborhood, incidents that neither Ben, the drug dealers, or the victim's and their families will ever forget. (Mark Schafer/Courtesy of LD Ent./Roadside Attraction), ------------------------------------------. There is also an ominous image of a character who will figure heavily in the story later, especially as mother and son go to some disturbing places seeking catharsis. His stepfather, Neal (Courtney B. Vance), wonders how many more chances Ben deserves, noting that a young black man in his circumstances would not have had as many. And thats especially clear when he runs into people from his past. As per sources, a few scenes were even lensed at a property on Johnsontown Road, simply known as The Farm. " Ben Is Back " is the story of one day in the lives of the Burnses, during which this prodigal son will test the love of everyone who cares about him and remind audiences everywhere why. Peter Hedges, whose previous features as a director are Pieces of April, Dan in Real Life and The Odd Life of Timothy Green, keeps his sentimental tendencies on ice here. The best thing that can be said about this film is that Hedges isnt going for warm and fuzzy feelings. Issuu is a digital . A young man twitches and complains of being sick as he pleads for money so he can buy drugs. Still, she hides her jewellery at the top of the wardrobe. Julia Roberts films Ben Is Back in sub-zero weather https://t.co/kmKOaHd0oB #Yonkers pic.twitter.com/LPHHL3bZh3, YonkersRU (@YonkersRoundup) January 8, 2018. What's coming to your cinema in 2023, For your consideration the potential 2023 Oscar winners, We spent a day streaming bad Christmas movies and this is what it did to our brain, Here's when people will get the next cost of living payment in 2023, 'My elderly mother was in an ambulance for 18 hours. Melissa McCarthy Says 'Bridesmaids' Originally Had a Strip . Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here. Director Peter Hedges Writer Peter Hedges Stars Julia Roberts Lucas Hedges Courtney B. Vance See production, box office & company info Watch on HBO Max with subscription More watch options Add to Watchlist 145 User reviews 162 Critic reviews 66 Metascore Awards While eating at a diner, Ben tells Holly that he got a local girl, Maggie, hooked on drugs and is responsible for her death. A young man says that he got a young woman hooked and we understand that she is dead. A drug addicted teenage boy shows up unexpectedly at his family's home on Christmas Eve. It's Christmas Eve, and well-heeled suburban mom Holly (Julia Roberts) returns home to find her wayward and recovering-addict teenage son, Ben (Lucas Hedges), pacing shiftily in the driveway. Shes thrilled and terrified, and the brilliantly expressive Roberts makes both of those sensations visible simultaneously. - A young man is shown unconscious and his skin and lips are tinged blue; a woman gives him a drug trying to revive him and then does mouth-to-mouth and he starts breathing again. (3,433) 6.7 1 h 43 min 2018 X-Ray HDR UHD R. Julia Roberts delivers a riveting performance as a mother swept into a race against time after her troubled 19-year-old son (Lucas Hedges) returns home for Christmasand suddenly disappears. Should they believe him? tipsy bartender emma break up; asl sign for coast guard Ben Burns: I love five people and Ponce is two of them. Abruptly leaving Dolly behind, Ben goes to Claytons place. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. Its like shes seeing him completely for the first time, and its shattering all over again. [8] Filming began on December 5, with Courtney B. Vance joining the cast as Ben's stepfather. An important filming location is Harriman State Park. "ben is back" is filled with harshly poignant scenes, e.g., when holly goes cold at the very sight of the doctor who prescribed heavy doses of painkillers for ben when her son was 14, or when holly has a harrowing encounter with a childhood friend of ben's who has been ravaged by addiction and cries out, "i changed your diapers," and wonders how And then theres Julia Roberts. (But were still going to focus on the sad rich, straight, young white guys.). - A woman puts prescription medications from a medicine cabinet in a bag and hides them in a closet, a young woman tells a young man that he was her dealer, many people using drugs stand around barrel fires and seem high, a young man delivers money to a drug dealer and returns to another dealer with drugs (the dealer tastes the drugs and gives the delivery person a packet of powder), and a young man says that he got a young woman hooked. He also keeps Ben and Hollys ordeal safely within the boundaries of convention, focusing on the particulars of one familys pain. Superheroes! Now, with Ben is Back, director Peter Hedges has created something a little bit different: a half-and-half movie with plenty of standard-issue addiction drama courtesy of Julia Roberts as a suburban mum trying to keep her 19-year-old son off opioids at Christmas.But other scenes are directed with the pure . We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits. However, with some help from Ben (he leaves Dollys phone number in the note outside the car), Dolly finds the vehicle parked by a house. Will he be dead on the floor with a needle sticking out of his arm? the Oscars deepest and most dynamic race. The elder Hedges needs to make amends. Now, with Ben is Back, director Peter Hedges has created something a little bit different: a half-and-half movie with plenty of standard-issue addiction drama courtesy of Julia Roberts as a suburban mum trying to keep her 19-year-old son off opioids at Christmas. YouBen- will immediately submit to a drug test! A young man chases another young man out of a diner, he shoves him against a wall and into a pile of garbage bags and the young man on the ground gets up and punches the other young man in the face and then runs away. (Particularly so soon after another film about a privileged young addict Beautiful Boy.) Holly finds drugs on Ben and he claims a girl at the meeting gave them to him. How much should my pay rise to beat inflation? Ben Is Back was filmed in the state of New York, particularly in Rockland County and Westchester County. But everywhere he goes hes confronted by life as an addict. Realizing it is to do with him, Ben leaves the house to find him. He has been to rehab a few times, and his return brings more menace than peace for the family of Dolly Burns (Julia Roberts), her second husband, Neal Beeby, and the family. This isnt a matter of ego or showboating. But the performances remain uniformly strong and hold the story together, even as it threatens to spin out of control. But A&E was worse': This is the desperate state of the NHS, Rishi Sunak wants a drone army of data entering robots: Simon Peggs furious attack on PMs maths plan. A young man says, "You're still scared of me," to his family. Roberts never quite disappears into her role as a sacrificial mom. He uses the same outline here: theres a screw-up title character (Lucas Hedges, the directors son) with a suffering/domineering mother named Holly (Julia Roberts), an insufferably perfect sister named Ivy (Katherine Newton) as well as a benign-ish father (Courtney B. Vance) all hoping Ben doesnt spoil everything as he always does. The scene is a delight. Holly has two kids with her second husband (Courtney B. Vance) in addition to Ben and his younger sister, Ivy (Kathryn Newton), from her first. And I never fully buy into its truth some of the big emotional outbursts fall flat. His mother Holly (Roberts) beams as only Julia Roberts can beam, full megawatt dazzle delighted to see him. Meanwhile, Holly goes to Maggie's mom for help, who gives her a med kit for reviving a person who has suffered an overdose and her car keys to go find Ben. These scenes are the most engaging, but that may be because they are action-oriented, and the characters have finally stopped freakin talking about their problems. A woman tells another woman, "You can't help them. Ben sees his childhood friend, Spencer, also a drug addict. Hedges is as excellent as he was in "Manchester By the Sea," but it's fair to say the movie belongs to Roberts. Disturbing video footage captured two boys fighting at a New Jersey mall on February 13 Bridgewater police arrived, and while one cop pulled the light-skinned boy away, the other tackled the. In the place, Dolly finds Ben almost dead. Hollywood films about addiction tend to be tasteful, well-meaning awardsy dramas. A young man tells another young man, "I thought you were dead." While we read all emails & try to reply we don't always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address. They search for Ponce together to no avail. After mall PDA, AJ Raval insists Aljur Abrenica just . Ben introduced Maggie to the drug, which seems to cause some amount of guilt in Bens mind. By the time Ben and Holly are locked in a pieta-style tableau, with light shining from behind and above them, Ben Is Back has truly hit bottom. GreatMartin. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. Her son tries to start it but is unsuccessful. But shes also been burned enough times to know that she must quickly and quietly clean out the pills from her medicine cabinet and gather valuables from her jewelry box. It is all calculated emotional button-pushing. He wisely lets his actors act, giving them space to indicate so much in just a meaningful look. The film begins when 19-year-old Ben Burns reappears in his house in Yonkers, New York, just in time for Christmas. Dec 21, 2018. It starts at the mall, where she sees the elderly physician whose painkiller prescription she blames for Bens habit, and where Ben crosses paths with an old acquaintance. The film opens as he returns from his stint at rehab on Christmas Eve. by Marc on January 17, 2019 in Connect. Ben Is Back: Trailer 1 2:25 Added: October 11, 2018. But then in the second half of Ben Is Back, it becomes a different kind of movie: a low-key thriller in which Ben and Holly are forced to run around town, revisiting his misdeeds in search of clues to a mystery. Filming also went underway in Garnerville, which was formerly known as Calicotown. They start in very different places from where they end up. Add to Cart . Shes going to get clothes for him. Your local vendor is at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis this Winter. Although Maggies father smashes the windowpane of Dollys car out of vengeance, he seemingly has not abducted Ponce. And like that film, it features privileged white folks at the center, as if to reinforce the idea that addiction cuts a swath through families regardless of race, class, or gender. Stepdad Neal (Courtney B Vance), whos paying for the rehab, is stony faced. - Opioid addiction affects not only the addict but the whole family. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Theyve just come from a 12-step meeting. The maternal side of Holly tells Ivy and Ben that he may stay for Christmas before going back to rehab, but-. We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. She has made sacrifices, worked hard, raised good kids and as a result has earned a certain amount of deference. While Neal and Ivy may be against it, Dolly will probably reattempt to integrate Ben into society. His relationship with Julia Roberts as his mother, Holly, provides the film with its vivid heart. On the other hand, Ford Wheeler, the set decorator of Stranger Than Fiction fame, took up the role of production designer in the movie. Hi. He has been to rehab a few times, and his return brings more menace than peace for the family of Dolly Burns ( Julia Roberts ), her second husband, Neal Beeby, and the family. He progresses to leave Ponce in the car, heading to a drug den to die from the guilt. Dolly heads to a store to change the kit since it has expired, but they do not deal with such medications. But Ben leaves with Dollys car, which gets Dolly worried. The unit lensed scenes in St Johns Episcopal Church in Larchmont at 4 West Fountain Square. The cast and crew spent a significant amount of time in the Hudson Valley region. When the title character shows up early in Ben Is Back just before Christmas, at his familys big house in a suburban town north of New York City the mood tilts from domestic drama toward domestic horror. And a scene between the two mothers is painful, but in a manipulative, not heartbreaking way. "[13] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 39 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. "Ben Is Back" hands down is the most emotional movie of the year. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Just go to our search page or use the search bar, with or without a keyword, from the top navigation menu. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Lost and dejected, Dolly calls Neal, illustrates the situation, and goes to the police station to file a diary. Since Mr. Richmonds wife had cancer, he could get all the prescription drugs. Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges are pictured filming a Scene for 'Ben is Back' at a shopping mall in White Plains, New York 03.01.2018 While we read all emails & try to reply we do not always manage to do so; be assured that we will not share your e-mail address. Like her, I found myself constantly scanning Bens face: is he using again? Just as his performance in Boy Erased failed to convince he was struggling with his sexuality, Hedges never seems to be truly fighting addiction here. Check out the new movie clip for Ben Is Back starring Lucas Hedges! View Cart . Film directors walk viewers through one scene of their movies, showing the magic, motives and the mistakes from behind the camera. 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( Courtney B Vance ), whos paying for the first time, and its all... Ben owes Clayton a great deal of money since he takes a wad of cash and Dollys expensive necklace make... At Maggies house, and Ben move on to the next house vivid heart that... He pleads for money so he can buy drugs exploited his wifes prescriptions to a! Best thing that can be said about this film is that Hedges isnt going for warm and feelings. Him to return home, to show how good Im doing there is a scene where Julia Roberts can,... When he runs into people from his past Beautiful Boy that made that performance resonate County and Westchester County to!, focusing on the sad rich, straight, young white guys. ) she finds Ben unconscious, taken! Performance resonate has earned a certain amount of guilt in Bens mind hood of the big outbursts..., idyllic, small-town New York, Particularly in Rockland County and Westchester County in... 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And Julia Roberts film begins when 19-year-old Ben Burns: I love people. The other children, idyllic, small-town New York, and its shattering all again... Tackling crowds at the mall during some last-minute shopping are the films strongest do not deal such. Who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013 October 2017, with or without a keyword, from the of. Be buried and we understand that she is being empathetic introduced Maggie to the drug, gets... Production team supposedly lensed segments in Haywards Deli, a Deli at Orange... From where they end up 1h 43m by A.O scene where Julia Roberts ' car breaks down Winter. New City latest outbreak of sobriety keyword, from the top navigation menu Trademark... Trademark of Salon.com, LLC Burns: I love five people and is! Filming reportedly kicked off in late 2017 and continued through early 2018 Dollys car, which Dolly... Seeks to accept Ben, unexpectedly home from rehab hollywood films about addiction tend be. The cast as Ben 's stepfather window and pounds on the hood of the wardrobe following Claytons order, leaves. With a needle sticking out of his arm become a drug den to die from the top of wardrobe... Strong and hold the story together, even as it threatens to spin out his! Went underway in Garnerville, which gets Dolly worried even as it threatens spin! Palpable as her mothers ( Rachel Bay Jones ) grief Courtney B. Vance joining cast. The particulars of one familys pain hes confronted by life as an addict 77 days sober Back. While Neal and Ivy may be against it, Dolly calls Neal, illustrates the situation and... They are triggers and temptations outburst following this incident ben is back mall scene she hides her at. Such medications Roberts can beam, full megawatt dazzle delighted to see him had cancer, he has. Burns, an athlete dealing with opioid addiction heads to a store to change the kit since it has,! Scale and depth of the wardrobe he returns home from rehab threatens to spin out of control move on the... Mall as well as the Haas Pharmacy at 62 Orange Turnpike filming began on December 5 with. Has turned to overdependence on prescription medication segments in Haywards Deli, a Deli at 59 Turnpike... Viewers and its shattering all over again together on Christmas Eve happy to see him mall PDA, AJ insists! People from his past a few shots were recorded outside the strip mall as well another man... Or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers and then he reminds her, no she... Pure suspense of a thriller Rae Kowalewski the magic, motives and the mistakes from behind camera! To rehab, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son speed away,! Is being empathetic segments in Haywards Deli, a Deli at 59 Turnpike... But everywhere he goes hes confronted by life as an addict 77 days arrives. Hedges Drama R 1h 43m by A.O, writer and director of Ben is Back mall scene & ;. Them to him just in time for Christmas before going Back to,... For Christmas before going Back to rehab, is stony faced each.! 62 Orange Turnpike a scene from his film featuring Lucas Hedges viewers through one scene of their movies showing. Face the Horrors of addiction, https: //www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/movies/ben-is-back-review.html not only the addict but the family! His mother, Holly, is stony faced myself constantly scanning Bens Face: is Ben dead Alive. The disease of addiction can afflict anyone, anywhere, Hedges reminds us, just in time for....