Honey Boy may have seemed like a garbage fire of an idea at first. As it turns out, director Alma Har’el deftly handles Shia LeBeouf’s semi-autobiographical script dealing with his childhood trauma. It sheds light on the troubled relationship with him and his father and manages to empathize with both of them.
There are more than a few scenes that made us want to go find Shia and give him a hug. Here are some of the most heartbreaking scenes from the movie. (Be warned, spoilers lie ahead.)
Otis Going To Jail/Rehab
The film begins with a 20-something Otis Lort (Shia’s stand-in) filming what appears to be a scene from a Transformers movie. It doesn’t take long once shooting is complete that he begins drinking, which presumably leads to a car accident.
This movie wouldn’t have existed without this rehab trip, and even though we know it’s coming, it doesn’t make it any less sad. Watching a very drunk Otis yell at cops and spend the night in jail is not pleasant, and we immediately wonder how someone with such great success has wound up in the place he’s in.
James’ Jokes
Most of us don’t enjoy being made fun of, especially not as kids. We come to learn from the very beginning of Honey Boy that Otis was experiencing verbal abuse from a young age to an absurd degree.
In one of the first scenes at their motel, Otis uses the bathroom and his dad, James, hears him. For no discernible reason, James comments on the size of Otis’ genitals and turns it into a literal peeing contest. This is the kind of thing we might not be too surprised to see in a junior high locker room but at home? Poor Otis.
Big Brother Kicked Out
James knows he’s a bad father, but that recognition doesn’t do much to stop him from continually making bad decisions, hence the entrance of another father figure in the form of a Big Brother volunteer named Tom.
James pressures Otis into inviting his Big Brother to a barbecue at their motel, even though Otis is well aware it will probably not end well. It starts off OK with James and Tom making small talk while Otis goes back and forth between the pool and their motel room. Before too long, James gets unnecessarily defensive, pushes Tom into the pool, and violently threatens him.
Hugging In Rehab
In another scene while in rehab, adult Otis stands in a pool with other patients. The counselor teaches the class how to hug yourself in a way that releases hormones that are similar to those when you feel cuddled.
Rather than being a willing participant, Otis resists and finds the exercise to be a waste of time. We can’t help but wonder if young Otis ever got a real hug from James as a kid and ever discovered what that felt like.
Otis As A Go-Between For His Parents
Despite Otis’ parents being separated, it doesn’t always stop them from fighting. In one scene Otis is speaking to his mother over the phone when she tells him to tell James something. Not only does Otis tell James, but he imitates his mother while doing it. An enraged James tells Otis to tell his mother something in return, and this continues back and forth.
We get the sense that this is not the first time Otis has done this, and it makes it all the more heartbreaking to watch. It’s bad enough to see your parents fight like cats and dogs, but it’s even worse when they put you right in the middle of it.
James’ AA Meeting
It would have been very simple to make James a one-sided character with no redeeming qualities. The film instead chooses to give us a few insights into James’ psyche, most notably through an AA meeting.
During the meeting, James makes a number of statements, among them that he’s trying to be the best dad he can, but that he’s also in so much pain. Though it doesn’t excuse the poor decisions that he has made, we can see that James does have unresolved problems of his own, and it’s hard not to feel for him.
TV Dad Saying “I Love You”
Another tearjerking scene comes when we see Otis performing on set with a fellow actor who is playing his father. We get the sense that the TV show is meant to be a comedy, given the wardrobe and looks of things on set. But an unexpected welling of emotion comes as the TV dad delivers his line that he loves Otis’ character.
While the scene doesn’t necessarily call for tears, we see Otis tear up when he hears this. His TV dad asks him after the scene cuts, “You feeling alright?” Oh if only you knew, buddy. Or perhaps it better you don’t.
Otis Telling James To Be A Better Dad
We’ve all been disappointed by our parents at some point in our lives, but some parents truly lack the skills to be the people their kids need them to be. As we near the climax of the film, we see Otis make a plea to James to be a better dad, or just be a dad at all. Though James goes through the motions of being a parent, its clear that he’s not actually doing much parenting for Otis.
Sadly, James does not take this well. Perhaps what is sadder, though, is that Otis has to ask this of James at all. It’s one thing to be the kind of parent that doesn’t show up to your sports games and events; it’s entirely different to be completely absent in mind.
James Admitting Otis Is A Greater Success Than Him
One of the greatest sources of the struggle between Otis and James is Otis’ success as a TV star. We learn that while James was a talented clown of sorts, he never made it big, not even close to Otis’s level of success.
James is well aware of this, but not until the end does he admit that he will never get to Otis’s level and how discouraging it is. It would have to be hard to come to terms with this, especially with Otis being as young as he is.
Otis And Shy Girl
Though Otis feels totally isolated in his sorrow for much of the movie, he does find a friend that he can share in his grief from time to time. We never learn her name (and she’s not even credited with one), but one young girl in the same motel notices Otis and relates to his struggles, even though we don’t get to find out what exactly hers are.
It’s both heartening and crushing to watch as these two young people find friends in each other that no one else can provide. We’re happy that they have these moments, but we know they can’t last for long.
