Ben Is Back
One family. One day.
2018 | 103m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Peter Hedges |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Peter Hedges |
| Staring: |
| 19-year-old Ben Burns unexpectedly returns home to his family's suburban home on Christmas Eve morning. Ben's mother, Holly, is relieved and welcoming but wary of her son staying clean. Over a turbulent 24 hours, new truths are revealed, and a mother's undying love for her son is tested as she does everything in her power to keep him safe. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 05, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Peter Hedges |
| Writer: | Peter Hedges |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | small town, drug addiction, drug dealer, criticism and blame, drug rehabilitation, church, family conflict, painful memories, temptation, older brother younger sister, family dog, return of son, worry, teenage son, blended family, addiction recovery, mother son relationship, stolen dog, christmas eve, past history, making amends, hopeful, one day, mother's undying love |
| Production Companies | Color Force, Black Bear Pictures, Sierra/Affinity, 30WEST |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $12,616,995
Budget: $13,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 10, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Julia Roberts | Holly Burns |
| Lucas Hedges | Ben Burns |
| Courtney B. Vance | Mr. Beeby |
| Kathryn Newton | Ivy Burns |
| Rachel Bay Jones | Beth Conyers |
| David Zaldivar | Spencer 'Spider' Webbs |
| Alexandra Park | Cara K. |
| Michael Esper | Clayton |
| Tim Guinee | Phil |
| Myra Lucretia Taylor | Sally |
| Kristin Griffith | Mrs. Crane |
| Jack Davidson | Dr. Crane |
| Mia Fowler | Lacey Beeby |
| Jakari Fraser | Liam Burns-Beeby |
| Cameron Scott Roberts | James Lamson |
| Jeff Auer | Maggie's Dad |
| Henry Stram | Mr. Richman |
| Bill Buell | Dairy Farmer |
| Sandra Caldwell | Customer |
| Nathalie Carvalho | Lay Reader |
| Emily Cass McDonnell | Bobette Parker |
| Marquise Vilson | Leon B. |
| Melissa van der Schyff | Robin Striem |
| Jocelyn Bioh | Nicole Hill |
| Gamze Ceylan | Pharmacist |
| Michelle Hedges | Carole H. |
| Karen Willock | Karen W. |
| Leon Addison Brown | Willie G. |
| Bevan Thomas | Gwenyth B. |
| Crystal Bock | Jessie |
| Rosalie Tenseth | Officer Reidy |
| Michael David Baldwin | Officer Wheeler |
| Ian Stark | Clayton's 2nd |
| Anna Lee Warren | Church Choir |
| Avery Soto | Church Choir |
| Vincenzo James Harty | Church Choir |
| Olivia Etchings | Church Choir |
| Kameron S. Holder | Church Choir |
| Daniella Guigliano | Church Choir |
| Julien Tornelli | Church Choir |
| Elwaldo Baptiste | Churchgoer (uncredited) |
| Rich Campbell | Recovering Addict (uncredited) |
| John Cashin | Doppelgänger (uncredited) |
| Teddy Cañez | Officer Thomas (uncredited) |
| Rosemary Howard | Christmas Service Congregant (uncredited) |
| Samantha Kelly | Window Shopper (uncredited) |
| Eduardo Muniz | Mexican Thug (uncredited) |
| Leo Orgil | Nativity Scene Child (uncredited) |
| Sammy Peralta | Mexican Thug (uncredited) |
| Shaun Rey | Mexican Thug (uncredited) |
| Jessica VanOss | Mall Shopper (uncredited) |
| Frankie Verroca | Crackhead Junkie (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Peter Hedges | Director, Writer |
| Jason Velez | Gaffer |
| Bernard Telsey | Casting |
| Shawnna Thibodeau | Stunt Double |
| Blaise Corrigan | Stunts |
| Ford Wheeler | Production Design |
| Rick Sordelet | Stunt Coordinator |
| Michael Fuchs | Steadicam Operator, "B" Camera Operator |
| Ian Blume | Editor |
| Gabrielle Mahon | Unit Production Manager |
| Christopher Eng | Second Assistant "A" Camera |
| Ronnie Wrase | Camera Loader |
| Rachel Jaros | Second Second Assistant Director |
| Jose Ochoa | Utility Sound |
| Keia Bounds | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Stacey Panepinto | Makeup Department Head |
| Amber Jasmin Morrow | Key Hair Stylist |
| Michael Cory | Property Master |
| Tricia Holmes | First Assistant Editor |
| Sophie-Ann Price | Visual Effects Coordinator |
| Glenfield Payne | Sound Effects Editor |
| Roberto Fernández | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Jay Peck | Foley Artist |
| Dickon Hinchliffe | Original Music Composer |
| Damian Volpe | Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| John Silvestri | Second Assistant Director |
| Chryss Hionis | Set Decoration |
| Stanley Fernandez Jr. | First Assistant "A" Camera |
| Michael Derario | Second Assistant "B" Camera |
| Dianne Dreyer | Script Supervisor |
| Greg DeCellio | Boom Operator |
| Colleen Ehrlich | Assistant Costume Designer |
| Robert T. Striem | Location Manager |
| Jon Carter | Hair Department Head |
| Rob Harlow | Key Grip |
| Mallory Trice | Post Production Coordinator |
| Mark Russell | Visual Effects Supervisor |
| Gina Alfano | ADR Editor |
| Filipe Messeder | Foley Editor, Assistant Sound Editor |
| Kevin Peters | Sound Mix Technician |
| Johnny Sousa | First Assistant "B" Camera |
| Mark Schafer | Still Photographer |
| Jan McLaughlin | Production Sound Mixer |
| James B. Appleton | Utility Sound |
| Susan J. Wright | Wardrobe Supervisor |
| Kimberly Amacker | Key Makeup Artist |
| Alexis Wiscomb | Post Production Supervisor |
| Jordan Lindblad | Visual Effects Editor |
| Marlena Grzaslewicz | Dialogue Editor |
| Andy Eklund | Art Direction |
| Susan Jacobs | Music Supervisor |
| Joseph P. Reidy | First Assistant Director |
| Melissa Toth | Costume Designer |
| Teddy Blanks | Title Designer |
| Stuart Dryburgh | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Hedges | Producer |
| Margaret Chernin | Co-Producer |
| Kirsten Schatz | Associate Producer |
| Ben Stillman | Executive Producer |
| Jane Nerlinger Evans | Executive Producer |
| Michael Heimler | Executive Producer |
| Daniel Steinman | Executive Producer |
| Dianne Dreyer | Co-Producer |
| Micah Green | Executive Producer |
| Mickey Liddell | Executive Producer |
| Pete Shilaimon | Executive Producer |
| Bevan Thomas | Associate Producer |
| Teddy Schwarzman | Producer |
| Brad Simpson | Producer |
| Dan Friedkin | Executive Producer |
| Joseph P. Reidy | Co-Producer |
| Gabrielle Mahon | Co-Producer |
| Nina Jacobson | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | Lucas Hedges | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 18 | 35 | 12 |
| 2024 | 5 | 20 | 26 | 10 |
| 2024 | 6 | 16 | 26 | 9 |
| 2024 | 7 | 19 | 41 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 | 13 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 34 | 6 |
| 2024 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 13 | 22 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 403 | 467 |
"Ben" (Lucas Hedges) arrives at his mother's home on Christmas eve and she is delighted. "Holly" (Julia Roberts) and her daughter "Ivy" (Kathryn Newton) know that he has a problem, though. He's a drug addict and has only recently managed to go for seven days without using. A Christmas carol service ... and an happy Christmas beckon for all if only he can stay sober but his erstwhile dealer has other plans and using the boy's dog as bait, entices him into one last delivery that has everyone racing around before something tragic happens. It's all rather bleak, this, with neither Hedges nor Roberts really having much to work with aside from the rather depressingly presented subject matter. Perhaps this will resonate more with those who have experienced some of the traumas addiction can cause, and this story certainly has an authentic (television) look to it, but there are plenty of better put together stories of recovery (or not) out there that reach out to the uninformed and unfamiliar in a more constructive fashion - and this just rather slotted in mid-table. I like Hedges, he has something natural about him - but here they are both rather mediocre in a rather mediocre melodrama that doesn't really develop the characters or the underlying threads of the story anywhere near enough.