Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges Share a Teary Reunion in ‘Ben is Back’ Teaser
Lucas Hedges is about to have quite the fall. The 21-year-old Manchester By the Sea actor has already been nominated for an Oscar (no biggie!) and now he’s got a trio of interesting roles on the way. On top of leading the gay conversion therapy drama Boy Erased and starring as some kinda moody bad boy teen in Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, he’s leading a recovery drama with Julia Roberts.
In Ben is Back, Hedges plays a young man who returns home from rehab on Christmas Eve morning. When he shows up, his sister (played by Kathryn Newton from Big Little Lies) is noticably upset, but his mother (Roberts) quickly embraces him with tears. The film follows the next turbulent 24 hours as “a mother’s undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe.” Why did nobody tell me both Hedges and Timothée Chalamet play young men struggling with addition this fall?!
Ben is Back finds Hedges being directed by his father, screenwriter and author Peter Hedges (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, About a Boy) who also penned the family drama. And there’s Roberts to look forward to, who has a big fall as well with her Sam Esmail Amazon series Homecoming.
Ben is Back, which also stars Courtney B. Vance, hits theaters December 7. It premieres at the Toronto Film Festival next month, so stay tuned for our full review then.