Honey Boy

Honey Boy

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe, Lucas Hedges, FKA Twigs

Directed by Alma Har'el

Child actors have had a very rough go at it in the world.  Most of them were forced at an early age to participate in a job that they never signed up for, nor did they fully understand the grand scope of it.  While some have gone on to lead normal lives both in the private sector as well as the big screen, others have spiraled into a world of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and unfortunately even suicide.  For Shia LaBeouf, it appeared at first that he was going to get through his child actor phase unscathed, moving from his stint in the hit television series "Even Stevens" to grown-up roles in blockbusters like "Transformers" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."  Then he started going off the rails, and ended up under arrest for public intoxication in 2017, where he was ordered to attend a rehab program, during which time he was diagnosed with PTSD, and had to come to terms with his tumultuous childhood.  It was in rehab where he wrote the script for "Honey Boy," and after getting out he set out to get the film made, bringing in Alma Hae'el to direct her first big-screen film, and the result is nothing short of cathartic for both LaBeouf and those who've seen the film who themselves have struggled with substance abuse due to terrible upbringing.

The film splits into two timelines: in 2005, actor Otis Lort (Lucas Hedges) is a successful actor who's appeared in several major films, but also harbors a secret alcoholic problem until he's involved in a drunk driving accident and forced into rehab.  At first he's hesitant to get help, but slowly begins to open up to his doctors - as well as himself - and face the past that's haunted him for decades.

The majority of the film takes place in 1995, when Otis (Noah Jupe) is a twelve-year-old up-and-coming actor who's being managed by his father James (Shia LaBeouf).  The two share a claustrophobic motel room where neither can escape the other, and it's because of this both their emotional levels are heightened.  James is abrasive, condescending, and downright annoying, but more importantly he's both mentally and physically abusive to Otis.  He's jealous of Otis's success, and also suffers from self-loathing in the fact that he relies on his twelve-year-old son to financially support him.  To his end, Otis is still loving toward his father and wants him around - even when he doesn't - and also eventually finds the courage to stand up to him.

Despite other actors on screen, the film pretty much solely focuses on three: LaBeouf, Jupe, and Hedges.  Lucas Hedges is one of today's most talented young actors who many have never heard of due to his work in more independent films, and once again he delivers an impeccable performance as the older Otis.  Yet his story is a bit more detached from the central tale being told, he serves as a framing device to show what happened in his past - which may or may not have really happened, but is also true to that of someone who suffered from trauma in their past.

Young actor Noah Jupe is quickly making a name for himself as a child actor, who's performed brilliantly in films like "A Quiet Place" and "Ford v Ferrari," and here is his crowning achievement in his early career.  Plying the young Otis, he balances adult situations with his own desire to just be a kid at times, and you can see the pain in his eyes.  He wants a father who loves him, but can't find that in James - who constantly buffs away his need for physical touch - and finds the kind of familial love in neighbor Shy Girl, who spends the most heartwarming times with the young kid.

The film's heart belongs to Shia LaBeouf, who's come out of rehab a better person (at least acting wise, I don't know him personally) as he's appeared in another stellar film of 2019: "The Peanut Butter Falcon."  Here he plays his own father in a very cathartic way, where you see his most darkest times yet also sense a palpable pity underneath as he struggles with his own insecurities and past demons, and LaBeouf doesn't hold back on either end of the spectrum.  You hate James but at the same time feel a sense of pity for him, but mostly anger in how he treats his son.

There's a few powerful scenes in the film that stuck with me, along with a quote the elder Otis gave to his psychiatrist: "the only good thing my father ever gave me was pain."  This easily sums up the movie, as well as LaBeouf's life, and resonated in a very visceral level.  There's also a very emotional moment that moves from the past to the present as both Jupe and Hedges give out a yell, but for very different reasoning.  Yet it's every moment LaBeouf is on screen that's truly captivating, because you're witnessing an actor's way of dealing with his past pain in a very realistic way.

"Honey Boy" is essentially a coming-of-age movie, but done through the lens of a real-life tragedy.  Shia LaBeouf became a laughingstock to the world, but no one saw the hurt underneath - the scars that refused to heal.  It's a cautionary tale to not judge a book by its cover, and notice when someone is really trying to reach out for help the only way they know how - and in LaBeouf's case, it's by acting out and being totally zany and over-the-top.

A powerful story filled with emotional resonance, "Honey Boy" takes us behind the curtain into the life of an emotionally scarred actor who hits rock bottom but manages to pull himself up through dealing with past emotional trauma.

The Score: A+

• Shia LaBeouf as James Lort
• Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe as Otis Lort. Hedges portrays Lort at age 22, while Jupe portrays him at age 12.
• FKA Twigs as Shy Girl