Clean And Sober
A powerful drama which showcases Michael Keaton in a totally believable performance as a young hustler who enrolls in a drug rehabilitation program in order to hide out for awhile--refusing to admit that he's an addict.
Member Reviews
In My Opinion, Kathy Baker Stole The Show - revsdd
Michael Keaton is the star of this movie. He gets most of the screen time, and his character of Darryl Poynter is the one around whose experiences the movie revolves. Darryl is a hotshot commercial real estate salesman with problems: he's embezzled $90,000 and is on the verge of getting caught, and he's an alcoholic and drug addict who hasn't admitted that to himself, and who discovers (at the same time he realizes that his embezzlement has been found out) that a girl he picked up the night before has died of an overdose in his bed. With everything closing in on him, Darryl needs to escape to so that he can figure his next move out, and he checks himself into an addiction counselling centre to take advantage of its confidentiality. He has to lie his way through while there, to convince his counsellor (Morgan Freeman) that he accepts that he's an addict, and that he's serious about recovery so he can stay. At the centre, he meets Charley (Kathy Baker), who's dealing with her own addictions and her relationship with her husband, who is both an addict and abusive (certainly verbally; possibly physically.)
While Keaton was the star, I was far more taken with Baker's performance and her character of Charley. She did a great job portraying this character who was struggling to overcome her drug and alcohol addiction, but who continually allowed herself to be manipulated by both Lenny (the husband) and Darryl, who develops an obsession with her (sometimes seeming more like a stalker than anything else.) I thought Charley's story was more interesting and far more sad, while Darryl was most interesting when he was dealing with Charley. In the end, a tragedy involving Charley (which somewhat mirrors the tragedy the movie opened with) is what jars Darryl into finally admitting to his addictions.
This isn't the most powerful movie dealing with the issues of addiction and alcoholism I've ever seen but it's an interesting, if somewhat melancholy, movie.Not dated at all - Rural_Ontario
Aside from the fact that this movie is blatant AA propaganda, it's worth seeing for Michael Keaton's performance. He plays such an adept liar that we see emotions pass across his face that indicate he doesn't really know when he's telling the truth. I've always appreciated Kathy Baker's work and this was an important role in her career. Everyone is good – Morgan Freeman in an early wise-mentor part, for which he is now I think beneficially typecast.Horrible - CaptainRhodes
I wouldn't even call this a movie. However, I'll be quick to call it garbage. I never could decide whether I actually liked Michael Keaton as an actor and I still can't, really. This movie certainly didn't help to win me over. And what's with that Kathy Baker chick? Yikes, no one will ever call her eye candy. The movie was just plain boring. I couldn't have cared less what happened to any of the characters. And when you don't care you're just wasting your time. I kept hoping Michael Myers would bust through the doors of the hospital and start slaying them all. Especially Morgan Freeman. A wise man he'd be no more.
P.S. Rest in Peace Michael Keaton's career.
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In My Opinion, Kathy Baker Stole The Show - revsdd
Michael Keaton is the star of this movie. He gets most of the screen time, and his character of Darryl Poynter is the one around whose experiences the movie revolves. Darryl is a hotshot commercial real estate salesman with problems: he's embezzled $90,000 ...Not dated at all - Rural_Ontario
Aside from the fact that this movie is blatant AA propaganda, it's worth seeing for Michael Keaton's performance. He plays such an adept liar that we see emotions pass across his face that indicate he doesn't really know when he's telling the truth. I've always ...Horrible - CaptainRhodes
I wouldn't even call this a movie. However, I'll be quick to call it garbage. I never could decide whether I actually liked Michael Keaton as an actor and I still can't, really. This movie certainly didn't help to win me over. And what's with that Kathy Baker ...