Honey Boy Review
Shia LaBeouf lays things out there for the world to see in this cathartic and brilliant movie. The man is, simply, unstoppable right now.
2019 is very much the year Shia LaBeouf made a triumphant return and cemented himself as a top tier actor. Following on from The Peanut Butter Falcon, LaBeouf stars and writes Honey Boy – a film based on his own life. He wrote the script whilst in rehab and after being diagnosed with PTSD. It is set in two periods: 1995 and 2005. The former being when he is a child actor and has a very complicated dynamic with his father at the time. The latter being when he has been arrested and sent to a compulsory rehabilitation facility following his alcohol issues. What we get, is a film that is surprisingly brilliant and one that I respect LaBeouf very much for. He was very brave to put this out to the world to see and both his writing and acting in this film are superb.
This film is led by a triumvirate of acting brilliance. First and foremost, Noah Jupe who plays the 12 year old version of Otis (i.e. young Shia LaBeouf in real life) is going to be something special one day. I can’t say this enough. This young man is so talented and this film is not out of the blue or a one off for him. I’ve seen him in a lot of things now: Wonder (2017), A Quiet Place (2018) and Ford v Ferrari (2019). In each film he’s in, I’ve thought wow this kid is really talented. In this film, I thought he’s destined for big things. He’s just so brilliant in what he does – he stands toe to toe with everyone who he’s in a scene with. And he carries the film excellently.
Lucas Hedges plays the 22 year old version of Otis who has been admitted to rehab and has to be forced outside of his comfort zone to discuss things he doesn’t necessarily want to. Again, like Jupe, Hedges is just adding yet another impressive acting performance to his already eye popping list. He’s got an Oscar nomination already for Manchester by the Sea (2016) and he’s one of the best young acting talents working today. He’s a much more tortured soul then Jupe’s version of Otis and has been through so much at that point. He doesn’t want to open up about his problems and that is the real challenge for him.
Then, of course, there is Shia LaBeouf who plays James Lort, Otis’ father. LaBeouf is playing a version of his real life father in this film which must not have been easy for him but perhaps could have also been quite cathartic. His father was abusive both physically and psychologically and is a recovering alcoholic himself. He’s had his own issues in his past and that continues to affect him. I wholeheartedly believe he loved his son, but he’s simply not a good dad. That is sometimes, unfortunately, a reality for many men. By LaBeouf’s own admission in recent interviews he loves his father and he was a good time, but wasn’t perhaps the best father figure ever.
Indeed, the dynamic between Otis and James throughout the film is what this film is all about. How can the son Otis put up with his abusive and selfish father? And how can James deal with the fact that he feels inferior and ultimately works for his son? It’s a complicated dynamic between the two – with both being strong minded men, even Otis at the young age of 12. Both are stubborn and hard headed with neither wanting to back down from each other. But rather tragically, when you remove all the ego – it is simply a son who wants to feel the love from a father. Which, to me, is quite heart breaking.
This is such a good film. It’s pretty short and most of the film is spent in their small house with them talking to each other. That is why this film is so good. It is about two people and their relationship and with it, two brilliant acting performances. Technically, there’s no real mastery if I’m being completely honest. The score is very nice and there’s some beautiful shots, but this is a character piece meaning other elements outside of acting do have to take somewhat of a backseat.
Honey Boy is one of a very few amount of films that was made to actually serve a purpose – to help Shia LaBeouf overcome his past. I really respect that and its message. But, I think it should also get some award recognition too. I think he’s got a great chance of getting a screenplay nomination and is definitely in the hunt for Best Supporting Actor. But, it’s such a stacked field already and he’s more of a lead. This is a small film that I don’t think many will see in cinema. But Amazon are behind it, so maybe it will be on Prime soon for the masses to see. But you will only be doing yourself a disservice by waiting that long to see it.