Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Friday 29th March 2024 - 01:03:44

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Movies > Drama > Ben Is Back review

« Louisiana's Way Home reviewLouisiana's Way HomeThe Mule reviewThe Mule »

Score: 9.5/10  [1 review]
5 out of 5
ProdID: 8156 - Ben Is Back
Directed by Peter Hedges

Ben Is Back
Price:
TBC
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
in cinemas 31st January 2019

Ben Is Back product reviews

Nineteen-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve. Ben's mom, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son's drug addiction. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love gets put to the test as Holly does everything in her power to keep Ben clean.

Check out Roadshow (NZ) Ltd onlineClick here to see all the listings for Roadshow (NZ) Ltd Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
alexandra park   ben is back   courtney b vance   julia roberts   kathryn newton   lucas hedges
Other listings you may be interested in:
The ReturnerThe Returner
Rating: 3.3
Creature Comforts - 1 to 6Creature Comforts - 1 to 6
Rating: 3.3
Meet The RobinsonsMeet The Robinsons
Rating: 10.0
Meet DaveMeet Dave
Rating: 8.5
FanboysFanboys
Rating: 8.3
MarmadukeMarmaduke
Rating: 7.9
Its a wonderful afterlifeIts a wonderful afterlife
Rating: 6.8
Eight Legged FreaksEight Legged Freaks
Rating: 5.3
Liar LiarLiar Liar
Rating: 9.6
Wolf CreekWolf Creek
Rating: 9.3
Avengers: Age of UltronAvengers: Age of Ultron
Rating: 8.9
Jupiter AscendingJupiter Ascending
Rating: 8.5
The GuvnorsThe Guvnors
Rating: 9.0

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of alexmoulton

Review by: alexmoulton (Alex)
Dated: 17th of January, 2019

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 9.5/10
Pay to see it again:
Score 10 out of 10
Attention Span:
Score 10 out of 10
Believeability:
Score 9 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 9 out of 10

I'll be honest when I say that the after seeing the trailer, Ben Is Back didn't really hold much appeal to me. It looked like a rather by-the-books thriller. In reality, however, Ben Is Back is an incredibly powerful suspenseful drama, packed with emotion.

My hesitation could also have been put down to the presence of Julia Roberts in the lead role of Holly Burns. While Julia Roberts is an amazing actress, she is so well-known that it is hard to see her as anything other than Julia Roberts, and that makes it much more difficult to engage with a film. Lucas Hedges, on the other hand, is still early in his career, so it is much easier to see him as his character, Ben. In the end, the acting is so convincing and authentic, that I walked out of the theatre with the idea that Ben was legitimately the son of Julia Roberts. She has such genuine resolve and love towards Hedges' character that you can't help but feel invested.

The film is based around Ben, who suffers from opioid addiction and turns up to the family home on Christmas Eve when he was meant to still be in rehab. The remainder of the film looks at Ben, and how he is seen by family, friends, neighbours etc. depending on how his addiction has had a ripple effect on them.

The film doesn't get preachy about drugs being bad, which I appreciate. Instead, it simply shows that there is a problem and that even when people have the best intentions, temptations and their environment can easily draw them back in against their will. The character of Ben Burns is very well-developed, which is also rarely done in film. Usually, a drug addict is portrayed as just that. Here we are shown how his youngest siblings love him with ignorance, how his sister distrusts him, and his stepfather has been pushed to the point of near-contempt. Despite being clean for 77 days, Ben is forced to reenter that world and face and explain the consequences of his addictions head-on.

While there is certainly a tonal shift halfway through the movie, it still consistently maintains a high level of tension. Every piece of information revealed, adds to the list of questions that Ben's mother has for him. As a viewer, you end up with your eyes glued to the screen, as you watch Ben struggle to do what is right, and come to terms with what he has done in the past.

An incredibly hard-hitting drama. The realism is there. We aren't given the perfect family with the one black sheep. The family alone has so many different facets that it feels genuine. Each member of the family has their own personality that affects how they react to each situation. There is anger, compromise, fear, distrust, and a lot of f-bombs from Julia Roberts. It feels like a family that has persevered for a long time but have been pushed to the edge of what they can handle. All portrayed during events that occur over less than a day in the film. That's right, the film starts on Christmas Eve, and ends on Christmas Day. We see the effects of decades of opioid addiction throughout a community, all in a single day.

Ben Is Back does end abruptly, and while I would love for it to have continued for longer, to see what happens next, stopping as it does, leaves you with the weight of the emotional hit. Sitting in the theatre watching the credits, eventually realising you are still holding your breath, still clutching the armrests.

Random listing from 'Movies'...

Score: 9.3
Product reviews for listing 952: Millions
Director: Danny Boyle

Product image for MillionsFrom legendary director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) comes...

Seven-year-old Damian believes he's received a divine gift from above when a suitcase filled with cash literally falls out of the sky. Against the advice of his older brother Anthony, Damian is anxious to share the wealth with those less ... more...

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"I have a Heisenberg Quantum Car. Every time I look at the speedometer I get lost."
anonymous