Sadly, I wasn't able to connect with this as much as I am able to connect with other films, which I'd put down to the screenplay, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. I can't say it's one I'd go out of my way to watch. It was a narrative film, so it was slow and not very engaging for me, largely because they're not my preferred kind of film. It was good for the kind of film that it was though. I'd probably give it a 7/10. Come to think of it, I'm not sure the emotion was very well displayed and conveyed in a way that makes the viewer sympathize with the characters. Maybe it's just me who felt like that, you never know.

Noah Jupe (14-years-old), who plays 12-year-old Otis, is seen smoking cigarettes multiple times in the film so I was wondering, how on earth are minors allowed to smoke in movies, and do actors smoke real cigarettes in money. TIL that they usually use herbal cigarettes in films instead of real cigarettes, which also happen to be legal because they're not real cigarettes. fun fact. or is it more of a depressing fact. oh well.

It's pretty funny how i went into this film without knowing anything about it, right after watching Pain & Glory by Pedro Almodovar just the day before and they ended up following pretty much the same structure: two timelines, in the present one you see the main character (loosely based on the real life writer of the movie) deal with the trauma of past events that get shown to you in the flashbacks, and deciding, in the end, to write a film about his life story that ends up being the one you basically just watched, creating a fun inception kind of feeling. Almodovar takes it a step further by showing us the flashbacks were a movie set all along, and LaBeouf does it by being the one that plays the role of his father.

They're both great films that, through the juxtaposition of timelines, successfully encapsulate a person's whole life through making the past a constant in the present and delivering the message that all of us are just collections of moments, feelings and events, all happening at the same time, regardless of time or space. It's a really interesting concept, that does a terrific job of building iconic leading characters.

EDIT: both Little Women and The Last Black Man in San Francisco also self reference their own stories in similar ways. 4 movies from 2019 about creators that end up creating the story you're watching.

Stunning. Hedges is excellent. And if we are to believe half of it, I guess we know why Shia is the way he is.

Both Shia LeBeouf and first-time director Alma Har'el have created a truly moving piece of cinema that is an experience everyone needs to have. I can't wait to see what they do next... let the Shiaissance begin!
- Chris dos Santos

Read Chris' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-honey-boy-shia-labeouf-turns-his-darkest-times-into-an-artistic-masterpiece

Alma Har’el delivers a beautifully-directed, therapeutic story that a lot of people will be able to connect with. Shia LaBeouf shines as both screenwriter and actor, but Noah Jupe proves that he’s one of the best young actors working today. It’s a bit repetitive and heavy to watch, but it’s on the top 1/3 of 2019.

Rating: B+