User reviews

When I heard about this movie I was sceptical. I am a male who has suffered from Anorexia since I was 14 (I am 25 now) and have been in 2 inpatient units during this time. I have gone from a weight that literally caused my heart to stop to one that is normal according to society and have recently graduated to become a doctor.

To The Bone starts off with an all too familiar look into the life of someone with an eating disorder in an inpatient unit. Once she is 'let loose' into the world she is clearly no where close to recovery. We get some degree of insight into her life struggling with her condition. Lily Collins is perfectly suited to this role given her eating disorder history. I am slightly concerned that this role may have set something off in her mind to trigger a relapse (if not now, then in the future), but as long as she has been able to cope I am more at ease. The attention to detail into her character's daily life is incredible. From being able to recite calories in foods to the countless hours spent doing sit-ups in her room, I was amazed as to how accurate they wanted this movie to be. In my eyes, it was in no way an exaggeration and could be considered an under- representation as to the daily life of someone with an eating disorder.

As the story progresses the tone becomes a lot more serious. It makes it quite hard to watch at times, because you do feel concerned for the well being of the main character and her family. It certainly made me emotional at times because it re- surfaced memories of things I put me and my family through. Again, this just highlights how eerily accurate the film portrays the condition. I could literally put names of people I met during recovery to the faces of the characters (patients, doctors, nurses and family members included).

Aside from being concerned as to the well being of Lily Collins in this role, the other problem I had going into watching this movie was that it may glamorise eating disorders. However, after the first 10 minutes of watching it I knew this was not the case. It felt a lot more like seeing the world through a real anorexic's eyes.

The other obvious problem I had was that this may be potentially 'triggering' for people with eating disorders. I still have this reservation, however I cannot conceive any way a film like this could not have been triggering. Every person experiences an eating disorder differently and have their own personal triggers. Anything in this film could have been triggering for different reasons. What I know is that those without the condition will receive an invaluable insight into the life of someone with an eating disorder. In a world where awareness for such disorders is certainly on the up, many people still think eating disorders are a 'life choice' and that sufferers should just eat. i hope this film makes people realise the daily struggles of sufferers and that it offers sufferers ambition to recover.

I was certainly sceptical about this movie before watching it for the first time. Having personally suffered from anorexia, I anticipated that the new Netflix original would misrepresent what it is truly like to be entrenched in the world of your own eating disorder. I was partially fearful that with the beautiful Lily Collins playing the focal role of Ellen, that the film might romanticise the extremities of such a fatal mental illness and send the wrong kind of messages to the diverse range of Netflix account holders much like '13 reasons why' managed to do. However, having personally worked so hard towards recovery, my main concern with regards to the movie was its potential trigger factor. I was so wary of watching the film because I know how to push my own buttons; I have been on and off battling with disordered eating for long enough to know that if I am having a bad day, or experiencing something totally out of my control, one can be easily influenced to restrict, and over-exercise. I did not want myself and other past sufferers, nor any impressionable viewers, to hop on some totally dysfunctional bandwagon of anorexia's practical 'tips and tricks' into losing a vast amount of weight in a short time frame, then use it to justify some sort of deep routed emotional battle. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised. What won me over was the films focus on the sufferance of anorexia rather than how Ellen became ill or even why. The stigma that society has associated with anorexia in recent years must be abolished, thus I was pleased to not have had to sit through a an hour and 47 minutes of a pretty thin girl looking at prettier and thinner runway models etc. One of the greatest misconceptions of anorexia is that the illness stems from a persons desire to be thin – this is entirely subjective and often incorrect. Each person suffers in a different way, looks different, weighs different, and most importantly, has become ill as a result of a variety of reasons that are usually (and unknowingly) far more deep routed than a 'strive for thinness'. It is for this reason that I saw the film from an empathetic stance rather than an embittered and distasteful one. I was pleased to see that the place of Ellen's treatment housed patients suffering from an array of eating disorders such as bulimia and a binge eating disorder rather than just anorexia; an eating disorder is a mental illness, just because you may weigh more than someone else for example, does not make you as a patient any less sick than the next sufferer: you are allowed to hurt and you are allowed to connect and relate to another character in the film besides Ellen. The casting of a male patient in the home also caused me to sigh with relief: another huge misconception of eating disorders by society today is that this is merely a 'young girls' issue. I adored Luke's character and I think that any viewers who have been through similar traumas would easily warm to a lot of the characters, particularly Dr Beckham's patients. As result of this, I would rate 'To The Bone' as educational, not triggering, but nevertheless emotional (my eyes were leaking throughout the majority of the 107 minute run time). This movie was always going to be difficult for me to watch as I only stopped being treated for my eating disorder less than a year ago. During treatment and even after it I've relapsed several times and my friends and family have always been of great support, but if I had told my Mum I was going to sit down and watch one of the first films that actually focuses on the life of an anorexic girl, by myself, her alarm bells would have rung and she would immediately look for changes in my behaviour – she worries more than any Mother ever needs to as a result of the turmoil I have put her and my family through over the last three years. However, both the casting and characterisation of Ellen's dysfunctional family life, beautifully (and comically) represented the effect anorexia has on the loved ones of the patient and thus I would recommend any individual who has been or is currently affected by someone else's eating disorder to watch this film – it will allow you to empathise with characters such as Ellen's Stepmother, Mother, and half sister, but it might also teach you how to tolerate, comfort and help the individual so close to you that is unfortunately suffering from an eating disorder. Overall, given that this is the first film I have watched where the plot line is centred around the suffering, and effects of an eating disorder, Marti Noxon has touched on all I had hoped him to whilst evoking emotion and simultaneously educating a wide range of viewers.

Do NOT watch this if you have suffered from an eating disorder. It is vert difficult to handle even if the disorder has long been recovered from. The movie weirdly enough made me want to stop eating again. I had to stop watching it halfway through. I do NOT recommend! However, for people who have not suffered from eating disorders, please do watch! It helps people gain a better understanding, which is why I gave it a 6/10.

I can imagine everyone that has had anorexia or knew or knows someone with it or comparable diagnosis will have a hard time watching this movie, but also will say it is true to it's theme.

This movie is hard-hitting, indeed, to the bone. I could not take my eyes off this movie, even though it is very hard to look at 'cause the look of Lily Collins and her co stars in the Strashhold are close to unbearable. But that is how it is so a story like this needed to be told. (Just like with 13 Reasons Why)

Everyone's performance is amazing and true to the characters. This needs to be seen, there are scenes that will make you bawl and probably help you being grounded more. It is also funny when it wants to be, which is not that often.

Loves this, waited for it for a year and it was worth it.

Eating disorder is a very serious yet common problem among teenagers. there are not much of the media (such as films or TV shows) that depicts about it. there are a few, but sadly it didn't got much attention. so, when i first heard of this movie, i was pretty excited. and when i finished watching this movie, i was... pretty confused.

no, it's not that the plot that is confusing, rather than the movie's quality. is this movie a better movie about eating disorder? YES. is this a great movie? i don't think so.

Let's start with the acting. well, i'm going to give me praise to lily collins. this is definitely a better performance from her. It showed how much she actually cares about this character and film. Keanu Reeves' performance is weak and at times forced. other supporting actors are doing a pretty good job. even they didn't really develop well, which brings out my main problem to this movie, development. characters which are far more interesting to know is drawn out, by you can guess it- cheap subplot romance.

i do expect a romance from this film when i watched the trailers. but i didn't think it's going to take much time that it drowns out the actual story i'm expecting. the first half of the movie, when the romance doesn't got involved, i'm pretty much in love. it portrays how much our main character is struggling. but after the whole romance got involved, it became unbalanced. those time could be used for actual things to make us feel more about the main character, but it dumbly got drowned out and only slipped by a line or two. i know that too much flashback is a pain, but seeing how this movie focuses on her struggle and journey, could you please at least show us a thing or two that make her struggling? at least, the ending makes it all up, it has some great emotional moments, that scene with her biological mother is somehow works out pretty well.

all and all, it's still a decent movie. and by this, i wish there are more movies about the topic.

Even before it was released to general audiences the think pieces started coming out about Marti Noxon's directorial debut To the Bone. So many think pieces argued over whether the movie had a right to exist and the potential triggers it might have for anyone currently suffering through an eating disorder (and warning, despite Noxon's claim that she was careful not to include anything that might trigger someone with an eating disorder the film does have a few moments that feel gratuitous).

Unfortunately, on every level, it's just not a very good film. Lily Collins plays Ellen, a 20 year old wise-cracking artist with a dark sense of humour who happens to be anorexic. We first meet her as she is coming out of her latest inpatient program weighing even less than she did when she came in. Appalled, Ellen's stepmother pulls some strings and manages to get her to see Dr. Beckham whose unconventional methods are supposed to cure Ellen. He insists on yet another inpatient program which Ellen initially tries to resist, only to succumb when her younger sister pleads with her to go.

The problem is this movie isn't as interesting as it thinks it is. Anorexia is a serious subject worthy of study in fiction and in film, but even though writer/director Noxon and star Lily Collins are both in recovery from the disease their approach feels as clichéd as your average TV movie. Everything from the way that Ellen wears layered dark clothes and makes sarcastic "witty" comments that are supposed to show how great she is and wise beyond her years, to the fact that Beckham's unconventional methods seem to be the pretty conventional method of showing off things of beauty, engaging in therapy and not talking down to his patient are incredibly cringe worthy. The frustrating thing is that there are some interesting moments in the film, like how the supposedly happy go lucky model recovery patient Luke turns out to have a bit of a dark side, but even this is barely covered.

Collins is great and rises far above the material, but it's unfortunate that this passion project, which does take a couple of interesting turns, seems more committed to staying with the paint by numbers typical approach than in offering us anything truly unusual.

This one's tricky.

It has beautiful shots, great acting, charming potential. It has humor. It has frightening appearances of semi-well known actors thin as paper to pull off their roles. I'm impressed with Lily Collins' acting. I'm impressed with the message that the movie is trying to pull off.

So what's the tricky part, you ask?

There is way too much hinted at that never gets resolution. Some of the house-members get nothing for story. Some of their behaviors never get explanation. Expulsions are hinted at, but never resolved.

What we have here is that tricky realm of trying to make a movie without beating the audience over the head with a message, and that's just plain hard to do. It's a tightrope walk, and should you veer too far over one side (or the other), you're going down.

This is okay if your focus is only on Ellen's story, while you stop caring about the rest of them, but... They bring them too close to Ellen and too close to the nature of what they are trying to combat to simply disregard them later on, which is where you run into trouble with "message movies".

I always think of the tightrope walk that was Norman Jewison's ...And Justice For All, starring Al Pacino. Talk about being beaten over the head with a message... and yet Jewison still managed to make at least an enjoyable story about it.

But it wasn't Rollerball. It didn't have a driving theme throughout the movie that used its message only as backdrop, while it pushed Jonathan E and his quest to find a way to keep playing the game he loved, even while everything and everyone was trying to push him out. There, the message was behind the story, and we still got it.

Here, the message drives the story, and that doesn't nearly work as well.

I will say this, that it does bring to light a lot about eating disorders and the way the world looks at eating disorders, and there certainly is a lot here that works well at trying to understand how difficult it is to heal from such a thing.

I only wish there was a better movie, behind it all.

I wanted to review this movie since it hits close to home. I have battled anorexia since I was 13. I think the movie was good about showing what it is like minus the family stuff. ..obviously that is for each individual. I also did not have my period for a long time and overly exercised even if I saw white spots. The only reason I went to a doctor at 15 is because after a couple years of me "embarassing" my mother in front of the church or her teachers at school, people kept asking why she wouldn't do anything (and she cares what strangers think) . She finally took me to a psychologist and lo and behold that lady had anorexia when she was younger and basically gave me death stares. ..& said almost all of the things in the movie that they tell her in the beginning like "just eat" , "your organs are going to fail", threatening a tube in my nose etc. It was almost like a newly sober person that suddenly despises anyone who uses and needs them to be on their level OR else. That was my experience with that psychologist. And the things I mentioned they tell you. ..That is like telling a smoker not to smoke. If it was that easy, no one would smoke or have anorexia for years. Needless to say, I did not see her for long then I saw a couple people (psychiatrists) after that but never for very long.

Anyway, if I had had a doctor that got it more like Keanu or a program like that then maybe I would have gotten better sooner, especially with him not being interested in the family or food talk like most. One thing that did bug me is how many chances she got. .I get some people's families might could do that but kind of not unrealistic for a lot. Anyone who does not have an eating disorder, I do not think this movie glorifies eating disorders. It might stir up OLD feelings, but if you are over it enough, you can be objective and empathetic. Even if you are in the depths of an eating disorder, you are just going to be like yup, yup...that is how it is even though it really does not go too far into the overthinking since it more about the girl's journey. I do not think it would trigger anyone more unless they are younger like 13 to 18 because I use to get more ideas from documentaries, books, and movies about anorexia to be honest. BUT from someone who used to get those ideas from those things, I really would not get many, if any, from this movie.

This was a decent film and I think it's a very difficult subject matter to try to cover in a 90 minute film. I think that any one person's experience with an eating disorder (or addiction or mental health issue) is unique to that one person. That said, I felt like the film lacked depth in that the characters mostly all felt like stereotypical walking diagnoses. I find psychology very interesting and I consider myself a very compassionate person, but it was hard to muster sympathy for the characters at times. Their eating disorders were almost presented as phases of being a bratty millennial, which is not how I view eating disorders at all. Now here's the weird thing. I don't think that was the filmmaker's intention at all. I think this was meant to be a deep exploration of the issue.

Ultimately, the movie felt short for me in characterization and the pacing was a bit slow, but I did still find it interesting in that it's a story that isn't always told and it's always nice to see different points of views on mental health subjects. I think it's a brave subject matter to tackle and I commend the filmmakers for that. I wish I could give it higher than a 6.

I am male, fat and old, yet I understood this movie. Not wanting to eat never made sense to me. Seems like the simplest problem to solve, I mean I eat pretty much non-stop and the idea of not wanting to eat is not easy to relate to for me. But I empathized with these characters. They weren't caricatures, and they weren't dumbed down. There was no pat ending, but that reflects the reality of anorexia in real-life.

I was especially entranced with Lily Collins and Alex Sharp. Both seemed like wise old adults in many ways until they would show images of their gaunt bodies and they are nothing but children.

I know a movie like this can only give a glimpse it this problem, but seeing humans I could relate to go through these problems made it more real than reading an article or a book.

I highly recommend this movie.

To the Bone is a Netflix film about seemingly a serious illness in eating disorders. This film is quite well acted by lead Lily Collins as she carries the film. The subject matter and storyline is quite predictable but realistic in tone. Somewhat resembling other films such as Side Effects and It's Kind of a Funny Story.

To the Bone is at times a touch watch but sends a strong and serious message. At times it shifts tones from serious and drama to more light hearted comedy but in the end does a well job.

I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was 15 years old. In my early twenties I didn't deal with it appropriately only to end up working for a group of wellness clinics... the biggest one for eating disorders. From here onward you can guess I had a massive anorexic/bulimic relapse (in my late 20's), and I went through my companies own in patient unit and several others... In my early 30's I finally made the leap, quit my triggering job and took a year off to heal. I did CBT (group therapy), shrink, psycho therapy, dietitian/nutritionist, etc etc. I am now I'm my mid 30's and I am FINALLY OK with myself, kinder to myself and able to accept myself as I am and enjoy food again. Why did I write this entire cathartic blurb? Because this movie is INCREDIBLY accurate and well made! Now only does it pretty much mirror my own relationship with myself and others, I really identified with the defiant and guarded girl Lily Collins portrayed! I literally broke down in tears at the mother/daughter breastfeeding scene... it made me think of my own issues with my mother and her inability to both breastfeed and connect with me. At my stage of healing I did not find it triggering, but that's not to say that those who are actively struggling with their own wellness might not benefit from watching it. All I can say is that the acting was spot on, as was the the secrecy,tortured, shameful and painful nature of eating disorders... during mine I did it all; starvation, binging, purging, cutting, overdosing, laxatives, diuretics, hiding food/puke/stool, you name it! But not anymore because, just like in this movie, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

It really shows you the struggles of eating disorder and I could really relate to this movie even though I never Was diagnosed with eating disorder but it just really reminded me of my childhood and of my situation now and it was way too emotional.

This was the perfect opportunity to clear up so many myths about eating disorders, especially anorexia. But we saw Hollywood's version of recovery and their version of Anorexia Nervosa an often fatal mental illness.

They should have addressed so many real issues but they padded it out with fluff.

I've never had an eating disorder nor known anyone who suffered from it, so in that sense, the movie is an eye-opener. Realizing that it's more than 'just eat' and 'like it's hard' and that an eating disorder is like any other psychological issue, difficult. I don't think I have a problem with food, but even then, the movie was triggering. I had to pause it and give myself a break. And I couldn't digest my next meal. It made me wonder if I need to drop some weight and is purging the way to do it. While it is a topic rarely spoken about and deserving of an audience, I think it should not be shown to impressionable minds.

Overall though, the movie is unconvincing. With every passing minute, my interest reduced, and an hour into it, I was wondering if it was at least going to end with a bang. It didn't. I don't blame Lilly Collins though, she carried the movie but every character just seemed to be there because they didn't have anything better to do. Their storylines were almost non-existent. While the movie explores a deep topic, surprisingly it lacked depth. But I'd still recommend it, so you too would learn something new and know it's not as easy.

It's educational of this film but not in a serous or boring way. The makeup and body figure so scary and really make me uncomfortable. It's foreseeable on the storyline but it's just touching and let me know "you are not alone, life is beautiful".

The very middle-class (self-appointed) adults in this movie like to pride themselves on awareness and self-knowledge (after a lifetime of privileged access to learning), but then freak out when "kids" find ways of self-governing and independence, freedom from all the trite platitudes "It'll be okay", "You're gonna make it" and so on, ad infinitum. The film opens with an alert about "conditions" ahead, but fails to warn that all young people face conditions, irrespective of eating disorders. Life itself is a bully, the sod who trips you up, gives you a black eye, spits in your porridge, superglues your locker. Adulthood likewise is a myth, an obfuscation of the failure to mature. Adults don't have the courage to admit "No, it will not be okay, it will be all uphill." Real help will be rare in coming, and most times too late. So while independence and self-determination are touted as values for youngsters to seek, it is often the supposed adults that shackle youth's urges to break out. As the then-young singer Cat Stevens so aptly stated: "From the moment I could talk, I was ordered to listen." Tackling a subject that presumably touches the writer/director Marti Noxon from personal experience, the resulting screenplay is hampered by pseudo-romantic distractions (despite the two young actors' immense talents), and not least by the wooden Keanu Reeves (why he's still onscreen is a mystery). Importantly, many reviewers came to this movie with their own experiences of the subject-matter (including distraught mothers), and it is good to read their comments on how it was handled; some were sympathetic, many were outraged. Without doubting Noxon's sincerity, the situation is far worse than she depicts. We look forward to her next outing as director/writer.

To The Bone is currently out on Netflix and I heard it was quite good so I checked it out.

Straight of the bat, this movie was probably one of the most moving and effective movies I have ever seen. Not so much because of the realism or dark extents that this film is not afraid to go to, but the acting. This movie made me think more than most movies do and I am not one that has a lot of knowledge on anorexia nervosa. What this movie did do, though, is force me to understand how the main character thinks in regard to food and that is the biggest compliment you can give this type of movie. Keanu Reeves was also a fantastic casting choice for the doctor, and was also really good.

There is one scene in particular towards the end which on the surface seems like a risky scene to incorporate into a movie like this, but it paid off tremendously and this ended up being one of the most emotional and moving scenes I have seen this year, and this movie is worth seeing just for that scene.

The only downside I can think of to this movie is the writing for some of the supporting characters such as Alex Sharp, which despite his fantastic acting, will be a character that may come across negatively to some people. Another problem I had was how the last few scenes of the movie were handled, but that mostly comes down to opinion and not fact.

Overall, this movie is much more moving and emotional than any other movie I have seen this year and deserves all the praise and recognition it can get, despite the fact that this movie will not click for some people.

And I can fully recommend. Keanu is about the best looking doctor I ever saw but he does not overwhelm the cast with his degree of celebrity, although I have often wondered how he magically manages to do that in his smaller roles. This is clearly Lily Collins movie but I will say that Lili Taylor's scenes are very touching and one in particular had me believing and teary which I did not expect. Depending on a given viewers degree of

emotional connection to the subject matter there will be fallout. Can't be helped with such a real portrayal of this confusing illness and the exploration of how it happens and how it is overcome. A nice addition to the Keanu Reeves filmography with skillful portrayals from all the actors that are often comedic and isn't that how real life often turns out?

I thought the movie was okay, there were some heartfelt elements lacking nevertheless, my main concern with this movie is that it's highly triggering for a lot of people who've had or have eating disorders. I say this as someone who has been dealing with an eating disorder, who watched this film hoping for a realisation but instead got triggered as well as read other people who deal with ED's share the same sentiments as me about this movie. Reason for this is simple, as said before, the movie lacked heartfelt elements and showcased more how someone with body dysmorphia implements twisted ways to lose weight rather than how this person realistically suffers through this & how it deeply impacts their relationships with their loved ones as well as their own physical and mental health. The movie had "moments" of these but overall I feel the movie failed at the latter and thus brought the unintended effect of triggering people with a history of ED's.

People need to remember that having such an illness causes one to constantly compare themselves to "thin" people, eagerly looking at this person's lifestyle and trying to mimic it so that one can look like that person. Thus, for a healthy person watching To The Bone was "educational" but for someone with an ED it was unintentionally a source of information on how to implement toxic eating & exercise habits. I feel in future people really need to be more cautious when creating films around ED's and people need to have a more holistic approach when focusing on how having an ED drains every inch of happiness out of you.