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Alcoholic Movie Reviews |
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Days of Wine & Roses (*****)
Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick star in this
very powerful film on how alcoholics love to drink together. Jack is a young
struggling public relations executive who drinks to forget his problems and
introduces Lee to alcohol due to her love of chocolate. Jack outperforms
himself in two scenes; the greenhouse and the liquor store at the lake A
classic to not be missed. |
The Lost Weekend (****)
Starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman.
Milland won an Academy Award for his classic portrayal of an alcoholic who
tries to kill himself. Milland's character slowly evolves as he steals and
lies his way to another drink. Two great scenes - Milland in the Alcoholic
Asylum at Bellevue and his vision of a Bat and a mouse in his apartment. |
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ALCOHOLICS IN THE
MOVIES
FAMOUS ALCOHOLICS
HOW DOES HOLLYWOOD
PORTRAY ALCOHOLICS
ALCOHOLISM IN THE
MOVIES |
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My name is Bill W. (*****)
Starring James Wood and James Garner. My
Name is Bill W. portrays the beginning of the AA organization in 1936. Great
costumes and period music. Always cry at the ending. Love the scene where
James is screaming that he is not sick and then runs into a tree. |
When A Man Loves A Woman (****)
Starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia. This romantic
picture shows how Meg fights her alcoholism while dealing with Andy's
inability to understand her need to do it alone. Love the scene where Meg is
drunk and falls from the boat into the water while Andy jumps in after her. |
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TOP RATED ALCOHOLIC MOVIES
Days of Wine & Roses
My name is Bill W.
Leaving Las Vegas
Finding Nemo
The Fisher King
Home of Sand & Fog
Barfly
I've always wanted to be a movie
critic. Being an alcoholic, I tend to think that my opinion means something.
Not that I really know. However, having grown up in New York, and encouraged
to read the Sunday New York Times, I respected and feared the movie critic, who could
make or break a film. So here goes with my top alcoholic movie picks
featuring alcoholics in the movies.

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Clean and Sober
(***)
Starring Michael Keaton. Clean and Sober
takes a hard look at an alcoholic/addict who refuses to acknowledge his
condition. Best scene is where Keaton is in rehab and asks the group whether
he can change the channel on the TV in the group room. |
Leaving Las Vegas (*****)
Starring Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue. Nick is an
alcoholic who has lost everything in California and decides to go to Las
Vegas to end his life. After meeting up with Shue, who is a prostitute, the
movie follows both of them on their dysfunctional journeys. Great sex scene
at the pool in the desert. |
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28 Days (****)
Starring Sandra Bullock. This picture
beautifully portrays a woman trying to overcome drugs and alcohol in rehab
while dealing with her alcoholic boyfriend. Fab scene where Sandra is out on
a limb while having an out-of-body experience. |
Finding Nemo (*****)
Starring Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres. A
father-son underwater adventure featuring Nemo, a boy clownfish, stolen from
his coral reef home. His timid father must then search the ocean to find
him. Best scene - AA meeting with sharks. |
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The Fisher King (*****)
Jeff Bridges, a famous radio show host
loses everything when one of sick listeners goes on a shooting rampage.
Serious yet comic, the picture stars Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruhl and
Amanda Plummer. Excellent cameo performance by Michael Jeter doing an Ethel
Merman impersonation. |
The Rose (**)
Starring Bette Midler. Great picture if
you like to look at an alcoholic/drug addict kill herself. Should be
re-titled a new look at Janis Joplin. Lots of tension
and great behind-the-scenes looks at performers and the entertainment
industry. Wonderful scene where Bette
performs with Bette impersonators. |
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Home of Sand and Fog (*****)
Starring Jennifer Connelly and Ben
Kingsley. A gripping exploration of the American Dream gone awry. The
storyline is powerful and Jennifer plays an incredibly believable
alcoholic. I would not be surprised if Connelly and Kingsley are both
nominated for Oscars. Best scene -Jennifer's suicide attempt. |
Changing Lanes (****)
Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson star in
this tense NY movie about a lawyer and a poor man who is trying to spend
more time with his children. Jackson plays a dry drunk and Affleck needs
therapy. Great scene where Jackson loosens Ben's tires before he goes on the
highway. |
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Barfly (*****)
Mickey
Rourke deals with life through whiskey and fighting at the bar. Sometimes he
finds time to jot down a few lines of poetry or a short story. After
fighting Eddy the bartender and winning for a change, Mickey seeks another
watering hole where he finds a fellow drunk played by Faye Dunaway. Dunaway,
a barfly, uses whatever it takes to get money and simply says "if another
man came along with a fifth of whiskey, I'd go with him". Best scene:
Dunaway hitting Rourke six times with her purse. Rourke’s bloody makeup
should have won an Oscar. |
Crazy Heart (****)
Jeff Bridges plays a country western singer who has
abused alcohol for a long time. He drinks like a real alcoholic and this
movie really portrays alcoholism in a truthful and powerful way. Best scene
is where he loses the kid in a shopping mall because he has to head to the
bar. |
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Electric Mist (***)
Starring Tommy Lee Jones as a recovering
alcoholic sheriff in down-trodden Louisiana. Tommy uncovers a 40 year old
murder which leads to a movie set doing a Civil War Reenactment. Peter
Sarsgaard portrays an actor which a bad alcohol problem. As a side note,
Tommy Lee helps Peter deal with his alcohol abuse. Great scenes with Tommy
carrying his government approved shotgun as he battles the local Hollywood
sleaze played by John Goodman.
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