PARK CITY: During the Q&A following the world premiere of “Honey Boy” at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, screenwriter and star Shia LaBeouf said that writing the script after his latest stint in rehab was “gestalt therapy.” Considering so much of it is based on LaBeouf’s real and complicated relationship with his father, that’s not a surprise. The result turns out to be not only a triumph for LaBeouf but a spectacular narrative debut for noted documentary filmmaker Alma Har’el.
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Broken into two timeframes, 1995 and 2005, “Honey Boy” begins with the latter as 22-year-old actor Otis Lort (Lucas Hedges) is working on the set of a big budget action movie. He screams as he is pulled back as a special effect explosion occurs in front of him. Har’el shoots this scene (which is clearly meant to be a stand-in for “Transformers”) in a stunning long take with a gigantic broken jumbo jet set piece behind him. It immediately tells you “Honey Boy” will be in your face and is it ever. The older Otis is seen through a montage working on a number of obviously studio films all of which come across on screen as legit. Retiring to his trailer, he can’t get his harness off and that flashes back to 12-year-old Otis (Noah Jupe) on the set of a television show where he’s thrown back from the camera after getting hit with a pie. The younger Otis runs into his father, James (LaBeouf), who can barely help him remove his harness because he’s so distracted talking to an attractive woman on set. Within the first minute, you immediately are aware that James is one of “those” characters and perhaps not the best one for the younger Otis to be around.
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Fast forward back 10 years in the future and the older Otis gets into a car accident where his vehicle flips over. After being arrested for drunk driving, Otis finds himself back in a rehab facility (likely a stand-in for the infamous Promises in Malibu) and he’s not happy about it. This Otis has serious anger issues and his counselors (Laura San Giacomo, Martin Starr) are having problems getting him to tackle the root cause of it. He detests rehab (at one point he refers to himself as an “egomaniac with an inferiority complex”) and is in serious danger of screwing it up which would mean jail time. This timeline is a key part of the film, but it’s the earlier story where the film fleshes out most of its narrative.
Despite being a child actor on TV, Otis is living with his father in a rundown apartment complex that looks more like a motel than real living accommodations. This is never explained, so we have to assume either Otis or James are saving his earnings or James simply knows no other way to live (providing a reason for this might have actually assisted the film). Otis’ father is loud, obnoxious, uncultured, jealous, insecure, abusive and, oh yeah, a recovering drug addict. He’s a lot. Oh, and did we mention he’s also spent time in prison and clearly can’t come to terms with “working” for his son, the breadwinner of the family? Otis’ mother lives in another city earning a living with a full-time job (she’s barely heard during a phone conversation), but has managed to find a Big Brother that Otis enjoys hanging with, Tom (Clifton Collins, Jr.).
Everything you need to know about James is telegraphed after Tom stops by for bbq at the former’s request (spoiler: he doesn’t think he son needs another father figure in his life). Tom arrives in a vintage, restored truck and James just has to assert his own knowledge over the engine like it’s a dick swinging contest only he’s participating in. As they make their way to the pool James starts to question Tom’s background. Tom works for the State Department issuing passports and because of his Mexican heritage he can speak Spanish – insert James’ insult about his ethnic background. Tom went to a college James hasn’t heard of – throw in an insult about him getting into school because of affirmative action. In the span of a few minutes, James’ anger has reached such a fever pitch he’s threatened to face [expletive] Tom if he ever comes near his son again and then throws him in the pool with his clothes on. The dramatic end unfortunately witnessed by a mortified Otis.
What “Honey Boy” wants to explore is whether the younger Otis can come to terms with his father’s destructive behavior and if the older Otis can start to forgive his dad for the PTSD he’s been diagnosed with, seemingly the result of their relationship. This puts LaBeouf at the center of the film and if you are not a fan of his often intense (some might say “too committed”) performance aesthetic “Honey Boy” may be hard to embrace. Patience is a virtue, however, and it’s the stunning work of Jupe that will win eventually you over. Jupe finds a way to convey Otis’ love for his father, even after he’s mistreated time and time again. It’s somewhat remarkable, to be honest.
Hedges breaks out of his recent string of similar performances as he channels the LaBeouf most of the world knows while carefully avoiding caricature. When Otis arrives at the rehab facility he notices another patient in the living room (Byron Bowers). It’s such a small detail, but Hedges cocks his head and says “Hey” in a manner that is almost completely trademarked to LaBeouf. Frankly, it’s a joy to see Hedges embrace this sort of role.
The true champion of “Honey Boy” isn’t LaBeouf, although he does show solid screenwriting skills, but Har’el. The Israeli born director takes material that could have easily been too messy for words and transforms it into an increasingly captivating experience. The script may provide an ending that’s a bit too rocky but she does everything she can to give the picture a proper landing. Moreover, her depiction of the “on set” scenes in both eras are incredible for an indie budget film and she has no fear in attempting the unexpected in one scene after another. “Honey Boy” may center on the impressive portrayals of three talented actors, but it’s the woman behind the camera that makes it soar. You simply can’t wait to see what she does next. [B+]
Check out all our coverage from the 2019 Sundance Film Festival here.
