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  • Reviews: Ben Is Back (2018)
  • 2018 Films

Reviews: Ben Is Back (2018)

Governing Committee January 3, 2019 2 minutes read

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Here are review links for this film submitted by our members:

  • [New] | Rick Aragon @ Rick’s Texan Reviews
  • [New] | Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat @ Spirituality & Practice
    • Excerpt: Drama about a mother’s determination to keep her opioid addicted son in recovery.
  • Laura Clifford @ Reeling Reviews
    • Excerpt: It’s small in scale, essentially a two-hander between Roberts and Hedges, and they are both at the top of their game here, Roberts fierce and unrelenting in her efforts to protect her son, Hedges keeping us guessing as to his true intentions.
  • Charlie Juhl @ Citizen Charlie
    • Excerpt: Peter Hedges found a creative way to explore how the opioid crisis destroys families every single day and for the first half of his film, he almost achieves it. Unfortunately, the second half transformation into a mystery thriller obscures the family drama momentum ensuring the film’s impact misses the mark.
  • Jared Mobarak @ BuffaloVibe
    • Excerpt: The reason we look beyond the strings is a result of Roberts and Lucas Hedges buying into their characters’ flaws and responsibility for what’s happened.
  • Darren Mooney @ the m0vie blog
    • Excerpt: Ben is Back is at its best when it is “Keanu… but as a prestige picture.”
  • Pat Mullen @ Cinemablographer
    • Excerpt: Ben is Back might be the most depressing Christmas movie since It’s a Wonderful Life. But if there is a Jimmy Stewart in Hollywood today, his spirit endures in Julia Roberts’ infectious smile.
  • Aaron Neuwirth @ We Live Entertainment
    • Excerpt: What starts as a story of a family reunion eventually becomes a thrilling journey to set things right.
  • Bev Questad @ It’s Just Movies
    • Excerpt: Peter Hedges, the writer/director/producer, exposes the single core issue in America today that is more immediate and more important than any other: the ugly, dangerous, brain-changing addiction that is metastasizing throughout our nation.

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Previous: Reviews: Escape Room (2019)
Next: This Week at the Movies (Jan. 4, 2019)

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