The Shia LaBeouf Drama On Free Streaming That Will Make You Weep
Normally when you think about the titles that are available for free streaming, the first thought that comes to mind is “straight to video-on-demand background fodder.” But this isn’t always necessarily the case, as you can stream Shia Labeouf’s Honey Boy on Amazon Prime Video’s Freevee.
Not only is this critically acclaimed, semi-autobiographical film thoughtful, cathartic, and sentimental, it provides deep insight into the kind of troubled life a child actor can live through when they grow up, and how they have to come to terms with their past trauma in order to reclaim their life.
Though the prevailing sentiment is that Honey Boy is difficult to watch at times, Shia LaBeouf received universal praise for the painful statement he was trying to make.
Honey Boy was written by Shia LaBeouf, and was based loosely on his own life. He wrote the screenplay while attending a rehab program in Connecticut during a time in his life where said he was falling apart. His therapist encouraged him to write about his upbringing, and he did just that when he penned the script for Honey Boy, but he admits to taking a number of creative liberties.
Despite these creative liberties, Honey Boy highlights LaBeouf’s own very real struggles, and shows audiences an accurate depiction of a young man learning how to cope with his troubled past through the use of exposure therapy.
At its heart, Honey Boy is a story about a problematic relationship between a father and son. The story centers on the life of Otis Lort, a troubled former child actor who is forced into therapy after a drunken altercation with the police.
Though Otis is portrayed by Lucas Hedges and Noah Jupe on two separate timelines, Shia LaBeouf takes on the role of a fictionalized version of his own father named James Lort.
Though Honey Boy was in fact a nickname that he was given by his father when he was a child, LaBeouf has expressed regret over the fact that he made his father out to be an abusive figure.
Through Otis’ flashbacks in Honey Boy, we learn that Shia Labeouf’s James Lort is a former rodeo clown who accompanied him on set while shooting movies as a child actor. Through these flashbacks, we learn about Otis’ dysfunctional family dynamic, which is often exacerbated by James’ erratic and manic behavior both on set and on the home front.
Though Otis resists his therapy at first, he can’t help but take a deep dive into his childhood, and attempt to make peace with his upbringing, as well as his current situation that finds him attending his court ordered rehabilitation.
Just like in real life, Honey Boy places a strong emphasis on Shia LaBeouf’s own struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, which contributed to his substance abuse and anger issues, which are explored through Otis in the film. Though we don’t know exactly where the line between truth and fiction is drawn in Honey Boy, it really doesn’t matter because the storytelling has so much substance and heart behind it that it won over audiences upon its release.
Shia LaBeouf has gone on record stating that he had to have a heartfelt conversation with his father, who he portrays in the film. Though Honey Boy was in fact a nickname that he was given by his father when he was a child, LaBeouf has expressed regret over the fact that he made his father out to be an abusive figure.
Honey Boy, starring and written by Shia LaBeouf, is streaming for free on Amazon’s Freevee.
In his own words, he said that his father was a troubled individual, but he was always loving and supportive, and he had to call him after the premiere so he could take accountability for making him out to be a villain.
With a 95 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes Honey Boy was very well-received by audiences and critics. Though the prevailing sentiment is that Honey Boy is difficult to watch at times, Shia LaBeouf received universal praise for the painful statement he was trying to make.
Though the events in the film aren’t necessarily 100 percent true to LaBeouf’s own life story, you can tell that there was a lot of heart behind the narrative, and that he was clearly working through a number of personal issues while writing the screenplay.
Honey Boy provides an alarming amount of insight into the world of child acting, and the fallout that comes along with a child being pushed too hard by their father to be successful. If you’re old enough to remember the very public fallout that Macaulay Culkin had with his father, you’ll notice some striking parallels between Culkin’s childhood in the limelight, and the pressure Otis endures in this must-see semi-autobiographical drama. If you’re interested in witnessing a gut-wrenching story about a father and son, then Honey Boy comes with strong recommendation.
