Next in my Oscar Race 2012 Reviews I have Beautiful Boy. The Classic American Drama has finally returned after years of pretentious efforts and Oscar Hopefuls that never went anywhere. We’ve got Maria Bello and Michael Sheen reviving the genre as they play two parents who find out that their disoriented son has caused a campus blood-bath.
Read the review after the jump!
The best thing about Beautiful Boy was watching Michael Sheen taking a passive approach with his acting. He’s become known for choosing assertive characters that need a lot of charisma (Frost Nixon, etc) but then we see him relying on subtle expressions to define his character in this film. Sean Penn will have watch his back, because there’s a new leading man in town and he comes with just as much vulnerability (if not more).
Bello’s interpretation of the “grieving wife” may have lacked originality, but she still managed to bring that rare, Sally-Field-sincerity to the role. You will be forced to acknowledge her plight even as she plays a controlling mother ruled by conservative beliefs. Her chances of landing a Golden Globe Nomination are definitely strong especially if she’s remembered for her work in A History of Violence.
The cinematography couldn’t have been more stellar and it’s all because of Michael Fimognari, who’s best known for working on Dare. (An indie-flick led by Emmy Rossum). He was faced with the challenge of creating an emotional portrait without making any exaggerations that could have undermined the story. Thankfully, he did it with ease.
It will be hard for anyone to find major flaws within this film, but it’s only fair to mention that it could have benefited from a strong supporting-character. The son (played by Kyle Gallner) was the obvious candidate; however his appearance is only limited to the first few minutes of the film. We’ve got One Tree Hill’s Austin Nichols supporting Maria Bello, but then his character is never defined properly so you end up questioning his significance to the story. This shouldn’t discourage anyone from watching the film, especially since you have two veteran actors to look forward to.
Will this be an Oscar Contender for Best Picture next year? Probably not, but we can still count on its growing reputation as an American Classic.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
Check out my last Oscar Race 2012 review of The Tree of Life.