Peter Hedges

For someone whose smile is insured for $30 million, Julia Roberts is often glum on screen, consciously pushing back against the stereotype that she’s only persuasive in cheery rom-coms. But in too many dramatic roles—Secret in Their Eyes, August: Osage County, Closer—the gifted actress overcompensates, throttling down her charisma so severely, only an empty shell remains. So it’s gratifying to see Roberts deliver as rich and complete a performance as she gives in Ben Is Back, where she plays Holly, a woman who’s simultaneously elated and terrified. The source of Holly’s joy and fear is the return of—sorry, no points for guessing—Ben (Lucas Hedges), her son, a born charmer who is also a drug addict. Read More