We see footage of a small town. People are in a church singing carols. They're also practicing for a play. Holly (a mother played by the beautiful Julia Roberts) is one of the teachers. She gets in her car and drives home. Her son (Ben played well by Lucas Hedges)is waiting there. Holly gets emotional, she hasn't seen her son in years. He is visiting, just out of drug rehab.

Ben tells his mother what he's been up to. He seems up beat and happy but the audience knows that something is up. Great build up of tension. Ben is having fun with his siblings. You feel that it's the quiet before the storm. Ben plays guitar. You can tell that Ben is a bit messed up. The son has a step dad (Neal played well by Courtney B. Vance). Neal says that ben isn't ready to come back. Julia Robert as Holly is back to her best.

She drives her son back to the drug rehab centre. Great tension. Holly nearly runs over her husband Neal on her way out. She says to Ben "Stay clean while your here" and gives him one more go. Holly has to check up on Ben constantly, making sure that he doesn't use. Its kind of depressing. He gets tested by Holly, it comes back negative. She then goes to the shopping centre with her Ben.

At the shopping centre Ben meets another friend. They look at each other in a funny way. You know that something is going to go down. Great direction. Ben is restless. He then goes to a drug support meeting. The other members tells their story. The son is somewhat sarcastic and misleading during this meeting.

Great acting by Lucas Hedges who plays Ben. Hedges creates a realistic performance of an ex drug addict. Holly confronts Ben. She thinks he's getting into his old habit and use. Holly and her husband have a discussion. The next scene is in a church. They go home and find their house is robbed. Great direction.

Ben checks his room. They check and the computer and other expensives are still there. "This is on you" says the step dad Neal to Ben (great acting). Ben abruptly leaves. Holly then finds Ben. Ben confesses to Holly that he robbed someone of their drug stash and this is what is causing all the problems, including the recent robbery.

They visit Mr Richmond (a client of Ben when he was a drug dealer). It's a stressful situation. Holly vomits. Great acting. It's a slow movie but very watchable. Some hard bastard bash Holly's car with a bat, it's a suspensful scene.

Holly has a talk with Ben. Holly says "There's no need for cops, we got this". Ben then chases down some thugs. A fist fight ensues "Who did you tell that I'm back!" Ben asks a thug. Ben beats him up. The thug lands one punch and escapes.

There next mission is to go inside a house to find more information. Holly couldn't wait and she gets out of the car. Great tension. Later on Ben drives off without Holly. She's furious. Great acting. I don't want to spoil the rest of the movie but it's made up of action and suspense.

"What I like most about this movie was the tense buildup in the first third of the film. Lucas Hedges did a tremendous job playing a teenage drug addict with a questionnable lifestyle. Equally, Julia Roberts excelled as a tenacious mother who deeply cares for her son"

The fact that a mother and son team up to get back at some thugs is innovative. There is that line in the movie when the mother, Holly, says there is no need to go to the cops. I guess the two of them took matters into their own hands and that's what made this movie entertaining. Enjoy the full 1hr 43min.