Honey Boy **** (2019, Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe, Laura San Giacomo, FKA Twigs) – Movie Review

More than just a bit uncomfortably, Shia LaBeouf plays a version of his own domineering father in Honey Boy (2019), an ex-rodeo clown with a prison record called James Lort, in LaBeouf’s thinly semi-fictionalised story of his own experiences, growing up as an abused child star.

Noah Jupe plays the 12-year-old child star version of LaBeouf as Otis Lort, and unexpectedly he turns out to be the most outstanding actor of the ensemble. Thankfully Jupe has dropped all his usual wide-eyed mannerisms, and nails the role of the troubled little kid perfectly in a rich and truthful and appealing performance.

Lucas Hedges has a less good time as the young twentysomething version of Otis Lort, still troubled, and forced by the courts into rehab and counselling with psychologist Dr Moreno (Laura San Giacomo). The older Otis Lort is a bit of a one-note cypher, giving Hedges another of his endless series of inwardly tortured young men to struggle with to try to bring to life. He’s a good actor, but he needs stronger, more rewarding material.

Shia LaBeouf plays a version of his own father in Honey Boy (2019).

Jupe has the advantage of playing all the film’s great scenes, and most of them with LaBeouf, who is quite scary as his own raging father, another hopeless victim of abuse apparently. Jupe’s other scenes are with young artist and musician FKA Twigs, making her feature-film debut as neighbour and kindred spirit to the younger Otis in their motel home. These scenes go just great too. The young Otis finds someone older who loves him unconditionally, and could be redeemed, possibly. Needless to say, dad, obviously, isn’t that much impressed.

LaBeouf writes his own screenplay, clearly an act of therapy. This is awkward in many ways, especially for the audience, though patient audiences will end up liking LaBeouf and even admiring him because of the movie, or at the very least understanding him. Previously somewhat a matter of ridicule in the media, we can now realise what makes him tick so off balnace. Not many people ever get to turn their therapy sessions into movies, and it is not recommended for all our sakes, but LaBeouf makes a brave and elegant and fascinating job of it. His screenplay is first rate, with some brilliant scenes and dialogue, and he keeps it very taut, with the complex, layered film running only 94 minutes.

Alma Har’el’s feature narrative debut is extremely confident, even triumphant. But the film is hard to watch. It is so full of someone’s pain, it actually hurts. You want to turn away, leave the cinema even. But maybe you should stay. It has a small message of hope. And so LaBeouf survives. Although abuse and addiction never go away, he is a survivor. He deserves to.

Okay, it’s awards time. Let’s include LaBeouf as writer and actor, and Jupe on our nominations lists.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Movie Review

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