Mark Reviews Movies: BEN IS BACK

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Review by Mark Dujsik | December 13, 2018

The primary mistake of Ben Is Back is the movie's inability to trust the inherent drama of its premise. There is plenty of drama here, as a young man, currently spending time at a rehabilitation facility for his drug addiction, unexpectedly returns home on Christmas Eve.

Upon the son's return, almost immediately as the story begins, writer/director Peter Hedges establishes the varying dynamics of the relationships in the house. The mother is thrilled, mostly because she believed she could only dream that her Christmas wish would come true. The young man's sister is instantly suspicious of what her older brother might be planning. A similar reaction comes from the eponymous addict's stepfather, who has put a second mortgage on the family home to get his wife's son the help he needs.

There's an instantaneous clash the moment that each of them sees Ben (Lucas Hedges) or hears of his sudden return. He insists that he's only staying through Christmas Day, that his sponsor has approved of his visit, and that he will remain clean the entire time that he's home, just as he would have at rehab. His mother Holly (Julia Roberts) has a few ground rules. Ben has to take a drug test. He's not allowed to leave the house, and while he's here, Ben cannot leave Holly's sight.

Their relationship, now defined by a deep distrust, ultimately becomes the only one about which Hedges (the filmmaker) cares. It's developed well, in the way that Holly's concern for her son seems as much to come from a place of love as it comes across as a possible problem for Ben. She may appear strident in keeping Ben clean, but in her initial decision to let him stay, we can tell that there's a level of vulnerability to that toughness.

The problem, of course, is that Ben is the source of that vulnerability. After spending some time either hiding or making excuses for his addiction, Ben seems to be aware of his mother's one weak point, and he also appears more than capable of manipulating it to his advantage.

This establishes a trio of dichotomies at the heart of the movie: the one between mother and son, as well the ones within each of those characters. Holly looks strong but will believe her son, simply because she can't accept the other option. Ben puts on a good face, but as the story progresses, we learn that it might be a lie. He asks his younger sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) to check the attic for any drugs that he might have hidden. Later, we learn that the sister didn't find any because Ben had taken them as soon as he had an excuse to go into the attic.

This is involving, especially with the inclusion of Holly's husband Neal (Courtney B. Vance), who seems quite aware of his stepson's ability to manipulate Holly. He puts a fine point on how much Ben has gotten away with: "If he were black," he tells his wife, "he'd be in prison by now." He has his own children, who look up to Ben, about whom to worry, too.

Sadly, Hedges pretty much dismisses these assorted familial dynamics for what becomes a strange mixture of a road trip with a thriller. While the family is at a Christmas pageant at the local church, someone breaks into their home. Nothing was obviously stolen, although the family dog, which saved Ben's life when he overdosed, is missing. Ben rightly assumes that someone from his past is sending a message, but he has wronged, hurt, and cheated so many people that there's a long list of suspects.

The rest of the story has Holly driving Ben around town, going to Ben's familiar haunts and confronting dealers, people to whom he sold drugs, and others with whom he had various agreements. The point, obviously, is to give some actual form to the narrative, but in the process, Hedges loses the focus on the dynamics between these characters. He pretty much dismisses two important characters, too: Ivy becomes a guide when Holly and Ben are separated, and Neal becomes nothing more than a worrying husband at home.

Instead, it's a mostly unnecessary tour of Ben's past, driven by the search for the dog and, later, Ben getting caught up in a drug deal through his former supplier (played by Michael Esper). The entire shift feels misguided. The performances from Roberts and Hedges (not to mention Newton and Vance, whose work makes enough of an impact that it seems a shame their characters fall into the background) are strong enough to give the mother-son relationship more than enough tension.

What we get, though, is akin to a thriller, with Holly driving around town and Ben appearing to be on a course toward a relapse. That threat is always present in Ben Is Back, regardless of the circumstances surrounding him. To turn his struggle and the struggle of this family into a scavenger hunt with a race-against-the-clock mechanic doesn't just undermine these characters. It undermines and comes dangerously close to exploiting the terrifying reality of addiction.

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