Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Beautiful Boy

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Beautiful Boy – Opening May 20, 2011



In stark contrast to the past three weeks of this feature, where I’ve looked at light-hearted comedies, we have an extremely serious, sensitive drama. The tone of the trailer reminds me of both 2007’s “Grace is Gone” and this past year’s “Rabbit Hole.” This is a very touchy subject matter, and the trailer perfectly conveys that as the parents panic when they see the news and are then told “there’s more” by the officer coming to inform them of their son’s death. Ideally, this will be a film like “United 93” that doesn’t capitalize on tragedy and instead, like the trailer, understates its severity and allows the performances and the situation to speak for themselves. Michael Sheen is a strong dramatic actor who hasn’t had a superb role since starring in “The Queen,” and Maria Bello has also turned in fine, nearly Oscar-nominated performances in both “The Cooler” and “A History of Violence.” This is not going to be an easy film to get through, and certainly a complex and troubling experience. I’m sure there will be many people who won’t want to or be able to see it, but it looks like it could be profoundly moving and exceptionally well-done, and that’s my hope for this drama, due out in May.