Ben Is Back main backdrop
Ben Is Back main poster

Ben Is Back

Visit website

6.6/10 • 910

2018-12-051h 43m

Drama

One family. One day.

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.

Directors
Peter Hedges
Writters
Peter Hedges
Editors
Peter Hedges, Ian Blume

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Julia Roberts

    Julia Roberts

    Holly Burns

  2. Lucas Hedges

    Lucas Hedges

    Ben Burns

  3. Courtney B. Vance

    Courtney B. Vance

    Mr. Beeby

  4. Kathryn Newton

    Kathryn Newton

    Ivy Burns

  5. Rachel Bay Jones

    Rachel Bay Jones

    Beth Conyers

  6. David Zaldivar

    David Zaldivar

    Spencer 'Spider' Webbs

  7. Alexandra Park

    Alexandra Park

    Cara K.

  8. Michael Esper

    Michael Esper

    Clayton

  9. Tim Guinee

    Tim Guinee

    Phil

Reviews1

View Reviews
CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 22, 2023

6/10

"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kathryn Newton) know that he has a problem, though. He's a drug addict and has only recently managed to go for seven days without using. A Christmas carol service and an happy Christmas beckon for all if only he can stay sober but his erstwhile dealer has other plans and using the boy's dog as bait, entices him into one last delivery that has everyone racing around before something tragic happens. It's all rather bleak, this, with neither Hedges nor Roberts really having much to work with aside from the rather depressingly presented subject matter. Perhaps this will resonate more with those who have experienced some of the traumas addiction can cause, and this story certainly has an authentic (television) look to it, but there are plenty of better put together stories of recovery (or not) out there that reach out to the uninformed and unfamiliar in a more constructive fashion - and this just rather slotted in mid-table. I like Hedges, he has something natural about him - but here they are both rather mediocre in a rather mediocre melodrama that doesn't really develop the characters or the underlying threads of the story anywhere near enough.

Media

  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop
  • Ben Is Back backdrop

Recommendations

  • The Ideal Palace main backdrop

    The Ideal Palace

    6.9

  • Black Tide main backdrop

    Black Tide

    5.8

  • Detainment main backdrop

    Detainment

    6.6

  • Treat Me Like Fire main backdrop

    Treat Me Like Fire

    5.9

  • What They Had main backdrop

    What They Had

    6.6

  • The Match main backdrop

    The Match

    5.7

  • October main backdrop

    October

    6.8

  • Sharing Christmas main backdrop

    Sharing Christmas

    6.2

  • Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal main backdrop

    Jimmy O. Yang: Good Deal

    6.9

  • Black Sheep main backdrop

    Black Sheep

    7.2

  • Aloft main backdrop

    Aloft

    5.5

  • A Christmas Switch main backdrop

    A Christmas Switch

    6.1

  • The River King main backdrop

    The River King

    5.7

  • Buddy main backdrop

    Buddy

    6.0

  • A Song of Lisbon main backdrop

    A Song of Lisbon

    5.7

  • Liquid Sky main backdrop

    Liquid Sky

    5.8

  • Dark Was the Night main backdrop

    Dark Was the Night

    5.7

  • The Weight Of The World On My Shoulders main backdrop

    The Weight Of The World On My Shoulders

    6.6

  • Violet main backdrop

    Violet

    7.1

  • Some Voices main backdrop

    Some Voices

    6.1

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$13,000,000.00
Revenue
$12,616,995.00
Keywords
drug dealersmall towndrug addictioncriticism and blamedrug rehabilitationchurchfamily conflictpainful memoriestemptationolder brother younger sisterfamily dogreturn of sonworryteenage sonblended familypainful truthaddiction recoverymother son relationshipstolen dogchristmas evepast historymaking amendshopefulone daymother's undying love