Beautiful Boy DVD


DVD released in 2011 by Anchor Bay entertainment.

Maria Bello and Michael Sheen star as a decent, upper middle class married couple who are slowly but surely growing apart in Beautiful Boy. Their only child is off to college and they are much more interested in their careers than in each other. They do not fight, but they do not care enough to stop the drift. But, tragedy strikes in the form of their son who goes on a shooting rampage at his college and then committing suicide.

 And then we get to the story itself: What happens to those families who are left behind by these spree shooters? Of course, the denial, the shock and the horror at what their son has done overwhelms the couple. Soon enough, the national media follows them everywhere and camps on their doorstep hoping for a quote or a bit of telling video.

 Bello and Sheen both shine as they take the viewers through the amazing array of emotions and behaviors that this shell-shocked couple experience. There are no fakey moments. No contrived scenes. Instead, this battered couple do their best to deal with the feelings of loss, shame and failure as they try to start over again. Interestingly, their shared loss pulls them closer to one another.

 I rate this film 5 stars out of 5.

This DVD can be found on Amazon.com here: Beautiful Boy.

 Reviewed on November 6, 2011.

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