Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

meadmorechairs For all the hype around "Beach Rats" it should be noted that it owes a large debt of influence to the 1998 Australian film "Head On" . Watch this underrated film from 20 years ago that is just as insightful now as it was then , that didn't need to have a catharsis at the ending so that it would stick in our mind. "Beach Rats"is a bleak one dimensional character portrayal of being gay and closeted. It has more in common with the films of the 1970s where being gay was a tragedy in itself . It exists out of its time and relies on the cliche of a scenario that requires violence to underline the producers bleak view .

evanston_dad I went to IMDb to see what other people had said about this film, and the very first review I saw had the title of "Boring.""Beach Rats" is quiet and thoughtful, and it demands a certain amount of patience, but it breaks my heart that someone would dismiss it as boring. It follows a lost youth navigating the no man's land between teenager and adult as he tries to figure out how to be the person he wants to be -- whoever that is -- in an environment that tells him who he should be. He hangs out with a bunch of losers who speak in a kind of dumb bro language and couldn't string together an articulate thought between the three of them while wandering aimlessly around Coney Island and its environs looking to score easy drugs. Meanwhile, he carries on a secret life of gay encounters with older men while at the same time trying to force himself to enjoy a relationship with a young woman who's too mature for him.Is he gay? Probably. Does he specifically seek out older men as father figures because his own dad just recently died of lingering cancer? Maybe. But the point is that he doesn't have the tools required to process any of the things he's feeling because he lives in a stunted place surrounded by stunted people, and it's easier to escape into feeling good the bad way than to put work into feeling better the hard way.More than anything "Beach Rats" is about how hard it is for men to explore their own feelings in a culture that has rigidly defined what it means to be masculine. Grade: A

eyeswallow I totally believed and attached to the character played by Dickinson... a role where not talking is probably more important than having dialogue. I must agree that the film lacked an ending - like the production ran out of money and had to stop? I have learned that one can not give much attention to KEY TAG LINES, by users? They are always deceiving about 'moral' things (exagerated). In this film, for instance, while Harris Dickinson was the real 'eye candy' if there was, not a lot of 'graphic frontal nudity'... other lesser characters had moments, but in today's standards, nothing gratuitous (it fit in telling the story). Might have like more of Dickinson nude, than others, since his character was pleasing to see and the story is about him. At any rate, he is certainly an actor to watch for - even in the nude.

adamsdjr-78413 There isn't much in the way of development, the movie pretty much ends where it started. If you're looking for something that hits all the genre tropes and makes you believe in love at the end of it, this movie isn't for you. With no direction for the plot or characters, the movie sort of just wanders until it ends.Beach Rats isn't going to transcend some personal plight and become relatable for a large number of people. It is very much for a niche audience who can relate to the struggle of a gay, confused, and aimless young man.