[2] The film follows Philly Wohl, Ira's mentally handicapped cousin, who at that time was 52 years old and still living with his elderly parents.

Ira forces his aunt and uncle to realize that they will not be around to care for Philly forever, and that they must start making preparations for when that time should come.

[3] Writing in New York, David Denby called Best Boy "a remarkably powerful film" with "an undercurrent of humor".

[4] In Film News, Jack Neher described Best Boy as "a beautifully detailed and very moving portrait of a family undergoing profound change".

[5] In Commonweal, Colin Westerbeck wrote "It's difficult to describe the documentary that Ira Wohl has made about his cousin Philly in terms that aren't cliches.