Based on the true story of Nick Sheff (Timothée Chalamet) and the drug addiction that impacted him and his family as told through the eyes of his father David Sheff (Steve Carell), Beautiful Boy is a sometimes difficult look at addiction and its impact.

The film is based on two memoirs, one written by David and the other by Nick. By design it is therefore very much focused on the father and sons relationship. What that does result in is the two mothers in Nick’s life being very much sidelined in the film. His biological mother Vicki (Amy Ryan) and stepmother Karen (Maura Tierney) both feature but get little to do. Given the films theme it feels moot to point out that I would have liked to have known more of Karen’s viewpoint given that Nick endangered her and David’s younger children and impacted their lives.

When the film is at its most impressive is when it allows the words and images to overlap. A moment in adulthood flows into a reminder of something in childhood, the words characters say running over the top. Sometimes the images appear to show happier times and I’m not completely sure if those are real or imagined. These segments really show the connection between father and son and pack the most emotional punch. Some of that punch is definitely owed to the films first rate soundtrack with the likes of David Bowie, Tim Buckley, Sigur Ros, Mogwai and the titular John Lennon song. There is also a particularly cathartic scene of a young Nick letting off steam singing along to Nirvana whilst his dad drives them somewhere in the idyllic looking San Francisco.

The two lead performances are also thoughtful and strong. The thought of Carell as a comic actor seems a memory now with his consistently brilliant dramatic work. Whilst Chalamet still appears to be channelling James Dean in his lost teenage phase (see Call Me By Your Name).

A thoughtful look at addiction and the impact on a father and sons relationship.