Ben Is Back
Follows the charming yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges), who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Ben's wary mother Holly Burns (Roberts) welcomes her beloved son's return, but soon learns he is still very much in harm's way. During the 24 hours that may change their lives forever, Holly must do everything in her power to avoid the family's downfall.
The film underperformed commercially against its modest budget of $13.0M, earning $12.6M globally (-3% loss).
3 wins & 13 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Ben Is Back (2018) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Peter Hedges's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 43 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Ben Burns
Holly Burns
Neal Beeby
Ivy Burns
Main Cast & Characters
Ben Burns
Played by Lucas Hedges
A 19-year-old recovering addict who unexpectedly returns home on Christmas Eve, triggering a crisis-filled 24 hours as his past catches up with him.
Holly Burns
Played by Julia Roberts
Ben's fiercely protective mother who battles to save her son while managing her blended family and confronting the reality of his addiction.
Neal Beeby
Played by Courtney B. Vance
Holly's husband and stepfather to Ben, who struggles to balance protecting his family while supporting Holly's relationship with her troubled son.
Ivy Burns
Played by Kathryn Newton
Ben's younger half-sister who adores her brother but is caught between hope and the painful reality of his addiction.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Holly Burns drives her children to a Christmas Eve church rehearsal, presenting the image of a rebuilt family finding normalcy without Ben.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Ben arrives home unexpectedly from rehab on Christmas Eve. The family's fragile stability is immediately threatened by his unannounced return.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Holly makes the active choice to let Ben stay for Christmas under her constant supervision. She commits to 24 hours of vigilant guardianship, entering a day-long journey with her son., moving from reaction to action.
At 52 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The family dog Ponce is discovered missing. This false defeat raises the stakes enormously - Ben realizes his return has put his family in danger from people he wronged during his addiction., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 78 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Ben relapses, using drugs in a moment of despair. Holly finds him in a bathroom, overdosing. The literal "whiff of death" - her son dying before her eyes. Her worst fear realized., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 83 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Ben reveals crucial information about who took Ponce. Holly synthesizes her fierce protective love with acceptance of Ben's agency. She cannot fix him, but she can stand with him through this crisis., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Ben Is Back's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping Ben Is Back against these established plot points, we can identify how Peter Hedges utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Ben Is Back within the drama genre.
Peter Hedges's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Peter Hedges films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.4, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Ben Is Back takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Peter Hedges filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Peter Hedges analyses, see The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Dan in Real Life.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Holly Burns drives her children to a Christmas Eve church rehearsal, presenting the image of a rebuilt family finding normalcy without Ben.
Theme
Holly's daughter asks, "How do you know when to trust someone again?" - establishing the film's central question about addiction, relapse, and conditional love.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Burns family dynamic: Holly's new marriage to Neal, blended family with younger children, preparation for Christmas, and the haunting absence of Ben from their carefully reconstructed lives.
Disruption
Ben arrives home unexpectedly from rehab on Christmas Eve. The family's fragile stability is immediately threatened by his unannounced return.
Resistance
Debate over whether Ben can stay. Neal and Ivy resist, Holly advocates. Ben negotiates terms: he can stay if Holly watches him constantly and he follows strict rules. The family wrestles with trust versus protection.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Holly makes the active choice to let Ben stay for Christmas under her constant supervision. She commits to 24 hours of vigilant guardianship, entering a day-long journey with her son.
Mirror World
Ben and Holly attend the church Christmas pageant together. This mother-son relationship becomes the thematic core - Holly must learn to love Ben while accepting she cannot control his disease.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - a day with Ben. Holly shadows him through errands, encounters with old friends, visits to past haunts. Tension builds as Ben's past creeps into the present. Small victories and red flags alternate.
Midpoint
The family dog Ponce is discovered missing. This false defeat raises the stakes enormously - Ben realizes his return has put his family in danger from people he wronged during his addiction.
Opposition
Ben and Holly search desperately for Ponce, descending into Ben's dark past. They visit dealers, confront people Ben hurt, face the wreckage of his addiction. The danger intensifies as they realize someone has taken the dog for revenge.
Collapse
Ben relapses, using drugs in a moment of despair. Holly finds him in a bathroom, overdosing. The literal "whiff of death" - her son dying before her eyes. Her worst fear realized.
Crisis
Holly saves Ben with Narcan. In the dark aftermath, she processes the devastating reality: she cannot save him, cannot control this, cannot love him into sobriety. Her motherhood is powerless against his disease.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Ben reveals crucial information about who took Ponce. Holly synthesizes her fierce protective love with acceptance of Ben's agency. She cannot fix him, but she can stand with him through this crisis.
Synthesis
Final confrontation to recover Ponce. Holly and Ben face the consequences of his past together. Resolution of the immediate crisis, but not the larger one. Ben chooses to return to rehab immediately, not tomorrow.
Transformation
Holly drives Ben back to rehab in the early morning. Unlike the opening image of a family without Ben, this is a mother who has accepted loving her son means letting go. She cannot save him; she can only love him.