As we noted in our review, Shia LaBeouf is working through some shit in Honey Boy, an autobiographical film from Alma Har’el in which the actor plays his own troubled father. And, though it may operate as “a big-screen therapy session,” it’s undoubtedly worth seeing, if only for the trio of performances that form its spine.
A Quiet Place’s Noah Jupe and Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges, as the pre-teen and adult versions of Otis—Honey Boy’s Shia stand-in—are “remarkably open and vulnerable” in their performances, while LaBeouf himself offers a “sensitively observed” turn that’s clearly fueled by some very painful memories. The latest trailer cycles between both timelines, showing what can happen to a child when the spotlight turns into an escape from reality.
Honey Boy is currently playing in select cities, but will go nationwide come December 6.