Honey Boy Review

Okay, Shia, I see you

The film grabs you from start to finish with a runtime that never feels like it dragged. I was actually shocked when the film ended because I was so engaged in the writing. The most realistic film I've seen all year and one of the most realistic films I've ever seen.

This is a biopic of Shia's life. Not sure how much is true and not but I saw the pain and love behind the writing. Shia definitely deserves an Oscar nomination for acting. However, Noah Jupe also needs praise too. He was fantastic as the younger version of Otis and he really shines in the role. Lucas Hedges does good per usual, being one of the best actors or the best actor of his generation, but doesn't have a lot to do. He's very behind the scenes for most of the movie and I was scared he would get underutilized, but Shia was able to perfectly add him back into the mix. Every performance was great.

The writing is a standout here. Shia is able to make a film that doesn't feel pretentious by also showing some themes of Hollywood and how growing up in it wasn't always the best thing. People look at Hollywood as this god place sometimes and this peels back the layers of it. As I mentioned, the film really focuses on Jupe's timeline more and Hedges's timeline did feel somewhat forced and repetitive, but this seems all intentional as the last scene leaves you speechless. I wanted more out of Hedges part but wasn't mad I didn't get it either. Hedges is just a great actor so I wanted more but Shia was smart to not overdo it with his part. It'd more about how the dad acts in his youth than anything.

The direction is also top-notch with artistic choices that work more than they don't. The film is quick and it has a fast pace to it. This has to do with the wonderful editing. Not one moment has dead air. There are moments where Shia reflects on the characters but it's always interesting. Never feels like why are we here like Queen and Slim did at moments. Overall, the editing and direction were great and worked with the script.

Overall, the film works on all cylinders and doesn't ever drag. The fast-paced nature was great when it needed to and it slowed down when it needed to. It feels very realistic and down to earth. Shia isn't hating on anything but showing us what it's really like. Hollywood isn't always fun and that we need to understand that people are people even in the industry. Also, it doesn't villainize anyone which is something this film could have easily done. It's a great biopic and shows how Shia could get to where he's at and where he was.

9.6/10

A+

The film definitely has some moments that are great all-around but this scene above might take the cake. It's a look at the dad characters and the disconnected he has in the world. Very powerful stuff and shows that Shia is a force in the acting department.