‘French Exit’ loses its way

“French Exit” – Frances Price (Michelle Pfeiffer), a New York socialite, isn’t feeling very sociable these days.  She’s depressed, frustrated, and broke. Well, not completely broke.  Frances sells off her jewelry and art to collect a tidy sum of cash.  It’s not enough to live on, but Frances and her son Malcolm (Lucas Hedges) won’t go hungry next week. Next year?  That’s a different story. You see, her late husband’s estate has become insolvent, and she has nowhere to live.  Frances isn’t the type to ask for help, but her…

Roberts and Hedges effectively play a struggling mother and son in ‘Ben Is Back’

“Ben Is Back” – “Instead of a criminal or a drug addict, I was looking at a boy, just a boy.” – Shannon A. Thompson, “Take Me Tomorrow” Ben (Lucas Hedges) is back home on Christmas Eve. Patches of crusty snow are scattered on suburban lawns, wintery-grays fill the skies and leafless trees remind us that warm weather won’t hug this neighborhood for a few distant months.  It might be comfy inside Ben’s house, but this (roughly) 18-year-old kid is locked out, because he did not tell his mom Holly…