Menu

Discover

Genres

Appearance

  • light/dark mode
powered by
moviedb

Ben Is Back

"One family. One day."

2018-12-05 Drama 1hr 43m

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.

More
Trailer
Amazon Video

Watch on Amazon Video

close
Ben Is Back
Amazon Video

Watch on Amazon Video

Storyline

19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.

  • Released
    2018-12-05
  • Revenue
    $12,616,995
  • Budget
    $13,000,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 43m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    6.7
  • Production
    Black Bear Pictures, Color Force, 30WEST, Sierra/Affinity

Crew

Peter Hedges
Director
Peter Hedges
Writer
Peter Hedges
Producer
Keywords:
drug dealer small town drug addiction criticism and blame drug rehabilitation church family conflict painful memories temptation older brother younger sister family dog return of son worry teenage son blended family painful truth addiction recovery mother son relationship stolen dog christmas eve past history making amends hopeful one day mother's undying love

Stream and watch Ben Is Back

similar movies

The House Is Burning

The House Is Burning

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

Dalecarlians

Dalecarlians

Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman

Appaloosa

Appaloosa

A Birthday to Remember

A Birthday to Remember

Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

An American Crime

An American Crime

Carrie and Me

Carrie and Me

Love After Love

Love After Love

A Carpenter's Prayer

A Carpenter's Prayer

Cut from Cloth

Cut from Cloth

Gridlock'd

Gridlock'd

Mummy

Mummy

The Glass Woman

The Glass Woman

Playing God

Playing God

Eunoia

Eunoia

Fortune Favours the Fantabulous

Fortune Favours the Fantabulous

All the Real Girls

All the Real Girls

Cast

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts
Holly Burns
Lucas Hedges

Lucas Hedges
Ben Burns
Courtney B. Vance

Courtney B. Vance
Mr. Beeby
Kathryn Newton

Kathryn Newton
Ivy Burns
Rachel Bay Jones

Rachel Bay Jones
Beth Conyers
David Zaldivar

David Zaldivar
Spencer 'Spider' Webbs
Alexandra Park

Alexandra Park
Cara K.
Michael Esper

Michael Esper
Clayton
Tim Guinee

Tim Guinee
Phil
Myra Lucretia Taylor

Myra Lucretia Taylor
Sally
Kristin Griffith

Kristin Griffith
Mrs. Crane
Jack Davidson

Jack Davidson
Dr. Crane
Mia Fowler

Mia Fowler
Lacey Beeby
Jakari Fraser

Jakari Fraser
Liam Burns-Beeby
Cameron Scott Roberts

Cameron Scott Roberts
James Lamson
Jeff Auer

Jeff Auer
Maggie's Dad
Henry Stram

Henry Stram
Mr. Richman
Bill Buell

Bill Buell
Dairy Farmer
Sandra Caldwell

Sandra Caldwell
Customer
Nathalie Carvalho

Nathalie Carvalho
Lay Reader
Emily Cass McDonnell

Emily Cass McDonnell
Bobette Parker
Marquise Vilson

Marquise Vilson
Leon B.
Melissa van der Schyff

Melissa van der Schyff
Robin Striem
Jocelyn Bioh

Jocelyn Bioh
Nicole Hill
Gamze Ceylan

Gamze Ceylan
Pharmacist
Michelle Hedges

Michelle Hedges
Carole H.
Karen Willock

Karen Willock
Karen W.
Leon Addison Brown

Leon Addison Brown
Willie G.
Bevan Thomas

Bevan Thomas
Gwenyth B.
Crystal Bock

Crystal Bock
Jessie
Rosalie Tenseth

Rosalie Tenseth
Officer Reidy
Michael David Baldwin

Michael David Baldwin
Officer Wheeler
Ian Stark

Ian Stark
Clayton's 2nd
Anna Lee Warren

Anna Lee Warren
Church Choir
Avery Soto

Avery Soto
Church Choir
Vincenzo James Harty

Vincenzo James Harty
Church Choir
Olivia Etchings

Olivia Etchings
Church Choir
Kameron S. Holder

Kameron S. Holder
Church Choir
Daniella Guigliano

Daniella Guigliano
Church Choir
Julien Tornelli

Julien Tornelli
Church Choir
Elwaldo Baptiste

Elwaldo Baptiste
Churchgoer (uncredited)
Rich Campbell

Rich Campbell
Recovering Addict (uncredited)
John Cashin

John Cashin
Doppelgänger (uncredited)
Teddy Cañez

Teddy Cañez
Officer Thomas (uncredited)
Rosemary Howard

Rosemary Howard
Christmas Service Congregant (uncredited)
Samantha Kelly

Samantha Kelly
Window Shopper (uncredited)
Eduardo Muniz

Eduardo Muniz
Mexican Thug (uncredited)
Leo Orgil

Leo Orgil
Nativity Scene Child (uncredited)
Sammy Peralta

Sammy Peralta
Mexican Thug (uncredited)
Shaun Rey

Shaun Rey
Mexican Thug (uncredited)
Jessica VanOss

Jessica VanOss
Mall Shopper (uncredited)
Frankie Verroca

Frankie Verroca
Crackhead Junkie (uncredited)

Videos and Photos

video-bd
video-bd
video-bd
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back
Ben Is Back

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Ben Is Back
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-07-22

"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kat... read more

"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kathryn Newton) know that he has a problem, though. He's a drug addict and has only recently managed to go for seven days without using. A Christmas carol service and an happy Christmas beckon for all if only he can stay sober but his erstwhile dealer has other plans and using the boy's dog as bait, entices him into one last delivery that has everyone racing around before something tragic happens. It's all rather bleak, this, with neither Hedges nor Roberts really having much to work with aside from the rather depressingly presented subject matter. Perhaps this will resonate more with those who have experienced some of the traumas addiction can cause, and this story certainly has an authentic (television) look to it, but there are plenty of better put together stories of recovery (or not) out there that reach out to the uninformed and unfamiliar in a more constructive fashion - and this just rather slotted in mid-table. I like Hedges, he has something natural about him - but here they are both rather mediocre in a rather mediocre melodrama that doesn't really develop the characters or the underlying threads of the story anywhere near enough.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kathryn Newton) know that he has a problem, though. He's a drug addict and has only recently managed to...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 6

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-07-22

"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kathryn Newton) know that he has a problem, though. He's a drug...

read more