Honey Boy (2019)
Last night, I hopped onto Amazon Prime to watch a movie, and the first thing that came up in “movies we think you’ll like” was Honey Boy. I had seen billboards for this movie planted all over Hollywood, but I never got the chance to see it in theaters. The poster was intriguing enough for me to put on the movie. I had zero idea what this movie was about and I hadn’t even seen the trailer. There are some movies where it just feels right to not know anything going into it, and Honey Boy is definitely one of those. If I were to describe this movie in three words, I would say: jarring, perceptive, and painful. This was not an easy movie to watch.
In 2005, Otis (Lucas Hedges) is a 22 year old movie star with a violent case of alcoholism. He gets into a car crash and has a violent interaction with police officers. He is sent to rehab where his therapist, (Laura San Giacomo) tells him if he leaves before he is mentally well, he will get sent to jail because of his violent tendancies while intoxicated. Otis has to look through his past traumas as a child television star and with his father for his exposure therapy to work. We flashback to 10 years prior where in 1995, Otis is a 12 year old child actor who lives in an awful motel in Los Angeles. Otis’ father James, (Shia LeBeouf) is his guardian on set. James is a retired rodeo clown and is four years sober. James is angry, abusive, and outright unpredictable. The movie switches between Otis as an adult and Otis as a child.
The film runs for 1 hour and 34 minutes and I loved every minute of it. While watching this movie, I really felt like I was watching real people which is something that I really value in a world where most popular cinema characters are secret agents/superheroes. I could feel raw authenticity in the dialogue between Otis and James. After I finished the movie I did some research and I found out that Shia LeBeouf wrote the film, and based it on his own relationship with his father. Knowing this information makes the film a little sadder, but also gives the film a sophisticated autobiographical tone.
I love movies because I love stories. Movies are awesome because they give you insight into thousands of different character’s lives. Some of these characters are utter fiction and only live within the silver screen of Hollywood’s artificiality and some others characters feel like real people that are walking on this very earth. Otis and James fall into the second category because they are that category. It’s important to value the the stories not only of those in the movies, but in real life as well. Honey Boy gives us insight to how Shia LeBeouf grew up and what sacrifices he made along the way. I implore everyone to watch this intense, stunning, unforgettable memoir exploring how one person grew up.
