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.
"This is an intimate, incredibly tense drama about a troubled family battling raw emotional pains, a bare-bones and bare-knuckled look at the destructive powers of addiction." - Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Through it all, though, there's the magnificence of Julia Roberts, and the fine performances from Hedges, Vance and the rest of the cast. They do great justice to this finely constructed slice of fractured family life." - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
"Almost every 10 minutes something unexpected happens that turns the story in an arresting new direction, and yet "Ben is Back" never once feels manipulated or mechanical. 4/4*" - Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle