Driving home with her kids on Christmas Eve, Holly Burns is startled to see her son Ben standing in the driveway. Ben has been in rehab for the past few months and is not supposed to be released yet. Ben tells them his sponsor said a trip home would be good for him. Though wary, Holly is happy to see him and says he can stay for 24 hours on the condition he does not leave her sight.
Holly takes Ben out to do some holiday shopping and get him clothes for church. While at the mall Holly runs into Ben’s former doctor, now an old man riddled with dementia. When his caregiver walks away Holly yells at him for getting her son hooked on painkillers after a skateboarding accident when he was younger. Ben also makes eye contact with someone who clearly recognizes him, leaving Ben looking worried. He tells Holly he needs to get to a meeting immediately.
At the meeting Ben shares the story of how he almost overdosed but his mom and dog saved him. After the meeting he is approached by a young girl. He doesn’t recognize her, but she tells him he was her dealer and asks if he wants to get high with her one last time. Back shopping once again Holly finds drugs on Ben and he claims the girl at the meeting gave them to him. Holly takes the drugs and they go home and get ready for church. At church they see a distraught woman. Holly approaches her and gives her condolences for the loss of her daughter Maggie. It is implied that Maggie was the friend or girlfriend of Ben’s and a fellow person with an addiction.
The family drives home from church that night to find that someone has broken into their home and kidnapped the family dog, Ponce. Realizing it has something to do with him, Ben runs off to retrieve the dog. Holly follows him in the car and they end up driving around trying to find the dog together. They first visit one of Ben’s former high school teachers whom Holly is shocked to learn used to provide her son with drugs in exchange for sexual favors. Next they go to Maggie’s father apartment. Seeing him sleeping and no dog in sight they retreat to their car but he wakes and angrily smashes the car window screaming for Ben to leave.
While eating at a diner Ben tells Holly he got Maggie hooked on drugs and is responsible for her death. Holly won’t acknowledge his guilt and makes excuses for him. Ben’s childhood friend Spencer (the guy from the mall) shows up and after a physical confrontation, confirms Ben’s fear: Clayton, a drug dealer he used to work for, is the one who took the dog. Ben tries to get his mom to go home, telling her this will be dangerous and she should let him handle it. He also says he’s a liar and not worth all the trouble but Holly refuses to leave him.
Ben Is Back is a 2018 American drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges, starring his son Lucas Hedges, Julia Roberts, and Courtney B. Vance. The plot follows a mother who tries to help her addict son after he returns home from rehab. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2018, and was theatrically released on December 7, 2018, by LD Entertainment, Roadside Attractions, and Lionsgate. The film received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Hedges and Roberts.
Ben Is Back (2018)
Directed by: Peter Hedges
Starring: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton, Rachel Bay Jones, David Zaldivar, Alexandra Park, Michael Esper, Tim Guinee, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Kristin Griffith
Screenplay by: Peter Hedges
Production Design by: Ford Wheeler
Cinematography by: Stuart Dryburgh
Film Editing by: Ian Blume
Costume Design by: Melissa Toth
Set Decoration by: Chryss Hionis
Art Direction by: Andy Eklund
Music by: Dickon Hinchliffe
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout and some drug use.
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Films
Release Date: December 7, 2018
Visits: 42
