As the movie portrays in its very meta way, Honey Boy started as a therapeutic tool when Shia LaBeouf was in rehab for alcohol abuse. As an artist so taken by post-modern art performance, how else would that person, who spent his entire life at the center of the entertainment industry, channel his pain, but by confronting his issues in the form of writing a screenplay about his life story? And yet, there’s no hiding what’s in his head in any way, whether it be metaphorically or literally with a paper bag. Here, Shia LaBeouf makes himself so vulnerable in exposing this open wound and tender flesh. Along with Alma Har’el’s dreamy direction, Honey Boy is a fascinating experience.
Honey Boy chronicles two moments in the life of this Shia-surrogate, Otis: there’s the child star Otis (Noah Jupe) and the young adult action star Otis (Lucas Hedges). The older Otis is who the story opens with, seeing him getting slammed, dragged, pushed, and altogether exhausted by action stunts that are a part of his daily life (“trauma reminders” as a therapist later classifies). One must remember the physical and psychological toll that this line of work would have on any person, let alone on someone who has done it for a decade straight, along with a scarred family history of substance abuse. The combination inevitably lands Otis in rehab, and it’s here, through therapeutic sessions with his probation officer, that he is forced to remember his childhood.
Young Otis, who we first encounter as he is harness-strapped in the middle of an action stunt, is the lead on a children’s television show. But this success doesn’t extend to his personal life, where he is raised by an erratic father (Shia LaBeouf), whose mile-a-minute mouth is either teasing, goofing, or berating his son in the close quarters of the extended-stay motel where they live. As young Otis, Noah Jupe is put into very adult situations – including drugs, booze, and older women – but Jupe maintains a strength and innocence throughout the film that makes it a solid and moving performance. Lucas Hedges channels everything from the screenwriter’s manic-instability to his trademark combat boots.
Portraying Otis’ former rodeo clown father James, Shia embodies the character so thoroughly that it’s more than just pretending – he’s channeling something real in himself, and it’s his most lived-in and best role in a while. What lifts Honey Boy to even greater heights is how the film integrates the vaudeville choreography of James’ rodeo clown life. Though in some scenes it may appear hokey, there are parts set to music to create magically mimed moments. Har’el captures this, and all of the scenes between young Otis and his father so intimately. But it’s LaBeouf who gives himself over so completely to this emotionally gutting process, putting his singularly pained childhood onto the big screen in what feels like an attempt for emotional salvation. Honey Boy is so raw and risk-taking that it provides a similar and personal experience for anyone who sees it. – Ryan Rojas
HONEY BOY (2019)
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe
Directed by: Alma Har’el
Written by: Shia LaBeouf
Running time: 94 minutes
Playing: Opening this Friday at ArcLight Hollywood and The Landmark.
