Taglines: To confront the truth, first they had to face each other.
Bill and Kate hopelessly try to find some hint of an explanation after finding out that their only son committed a mass shooting at his university before taking his own life. They struggle numbly through the funeral, the media onslaught, and the awkward pity from relatives and friends.
Their already strained marriage is tested as they realize all they have left with each other is their shared grief and confusion — and the unfortunate legacy of their son. This life-altering event forces Bill and Kate to face their feelings of guilt, rage, blame, self-discovery — and ultimately hope — so that they can finally see each other and their chance for happiness again with clear eyes.
About the Story
The film opens up with home videos of a husband and wife at the beach with their young son. A young man reads a short story about a boy and girl; saying that they didn’t know it, but their lives would one day irrevocably change. Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate (Maria Bello) are a married couple who are tightly wound and devoted to their work. Bill is a businessman, and Kate proofreads books for a living. The only thing keeping them together is their eighteen year-old son Sam (Kyle Gallner), who is having trouble adjusting to college.
One morning, it’s reported on the news that there has been a shooting spree at Sam’s school. They are then visited by the police who inform them that Sam is not only dead, but that he was the gunman. Kate refuses to believe that their son would do something so horrible, and spends the night tidying up Sam’s room as if nothing has happened. As the news media descends upon the couple, Bill and Kate decide to stay with Kate’s brother Eric (Alan Tudyk) and his wife Trish (Moon Bloodgood).
The next morning, Eric and Trish’s son Dylan (Cody Wai-Ho Lee) turns on the television to see a video made by Sam about the impending massacre. Bill then decides to issue a public statement, saying that they are both deeply sorry over what has happened, and ask for their privacy as they endeavor to get their lives back on track. They have a small funeral with only family present.
Trish soon becomes agitated at Kate’s nit-picking, and her attempts to mother Dylan, but Eric says that she has to be sensitive to their situation since Sam was her only child. They eventually leave, saying they are going to visit a friend, but check into a motel instead. The manager (Meat Loaf) not knowing who they are, makes a comment about Sam and his “monster family”. Bill goes back to the house where he finds a teenage boy (Drake Kemper) in Sam’s room. They have a short scuffle where Bill cuts his hand, and the boy calls him a “psycho”. He returns to the motel with their laptop, and finds a video from Sam. He and Kate view it together; Sam only says “mom and dad , I’m sorry ,please don’t hate me”
Bill and Kate get into an argument about what could have caused Sam to kill all those innocent people. Bill lashes out at Kate for always critiquing every decision that Sam made, but she says that he was never there for them because he was always so busy working. Bill ends up saying that he wishes that Sam was never born, and Kate leaves.
She goes back to their house for the first time since the shooting, and looks through Sam’s room. Bill meets with his boss Harry (Bruce French), who agrees that he can return to work next week. While grocery shopping, Kate runs into her young co-worker Cooper (Austin Nichols). They go back to the house, and she catches him looking through Sam’s short stories. He says that he is writing a piece about the shooting, but that he wanted to portray Sam in a more human light by learning more about him. Bill finally returns to work, but feels alienated by the rest of the staff. Harry tells Bill to take more time off to see a therapist, so he quits.
Beautiful Boy
Directed by: Shawn Ku
Starring: Michael Sheen, Maria Bello, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Kyle Gallner, Deidrie Henry, Kelli Kirkland, Brooke Lyons
Screenplay by: Shawn Ku
Production Design by: Gabor Norman
Cinematography by: Michael Fimognari
Film Editing by: Chad Galster
Costume Design by: Cynthia Ann Summers
Set Decoration by: Gladys Rodriguez
Art Direction by: Abigail Potter
Music by: Trevor Morris
MPAA Rating: R for some language and a scene of sexuality.
Studio: Anchor Bay Films
Release Date: May 20, 2011
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