Bill W.

Bill W. is a great documentary and very informative. I learned a lot about Bill Wilson that I didn't know beforehand. I have a new appreciation for Alcoholics Anonymous and the man who helped start the 12 step movement that has saved thousands of lives. The actual audio of Bill Wilson talking along with the original images made the film that much more real. Can't wait for it to come out on DVD to see what treasurers might be included that had to be cut so as not to make it too long. Definitely a documentary that I will watch again. The screening I attended was sold out. I was grateful to attend a night in which the director Kevin Hanlon was there for Q&A.

First off, I'm not a recovering alcoholic so the movie didn't strike a chord in me on that level. However, I do respect Bill W.'s work tremendously. Unfortunately, the movie failed to deliver in my opinion. While it offered an amazing inside in the founder of AA, its presentation was lacking all over. Throughout the whole movie I felt like they could have wrapped this up into a 30 minute piece for the history channel (with better writing) which would still do the man justice if well done. The detailed story dragged on for what felt like days, the reenactment was "ok" but really nothing special and I could have dealt with less. It took the director 9 years to make this which explains the slow paste this movie had IMO.

Again, a needed portrait of an important person - but a little documentary piece wrapped into a whole movie. I'm sure AA members see it different.

I love this film, but my view is skewed. The emotional link for those of us in recovery is deep, and the effect of watching it reminded me of visiting Akron for AA "Founder's Day"; not unlike a pilgrimage. The footage and photos I've never seen before of these historical figures were riveting. The music, stunning. The whole thing was well thought out, sequenced, and presented, and gave me a few surprises. The dramatized segments were effective, with excellently done costumes, hair, sets, and lighting. I am, however, a stickler for continuity and was disappointed (like nails on a chalkboard disappointed) in the wrong decade chairs used for the banquet meetings, not to mention the plastic name tag holders that weren't in common usage back then. That's my only beef with this otherwise well presented piece. I laughed and I cried. Thanks so much for this important work.

The film is well done. It was well researched and organized. It is as good a documentary as "The Thin Blue Line," "The Fog of War" or "American Movie." It is one of my top 10 favorite movies. I am an active AA member and a fan of documentaries. I first this film at Chicago's Century Centre Cinema and then at a community college screening with the director present for Q&A. Then, I bought the DVD. There is a big backstory and lore to the AA movement that many of us in AA were not even aware of. For example, Kevin Hanlon interviewed Ernest Kurtz, author of Not-God, a doctoral dissertation and a definitive work on AA history. Few people in AA get beyond AA's basic text, Alcoholics Anonymous. The film can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in documentaries, but it will have special significance for AA members. And, it had to be made by an outsider. AA itself could never have internally agreed to make this film. It is great to have this bit of history pulled together in a balanced manner.

Yes ~ I can't say enough Good. As one other reviewer mentioned, I experience the same ~ impossible not to be a bit biased since I am passionate about the material ... and the man.

The film needs to be around More, in the theatres. I'd see it again ... and bring a bandwagon. The acting was great and I liked the way the Facts were conveyed. William Griffith Wilson was not a saint, in the sense that he was not perfect ... like each of us are not ~ but I put him in the same category as Martin Luther King, Buddha, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Echart Tolle, Earnest Holmes, Joseph Campbell, Jesus Christ, et. al.

The man was brilliant, and he accomplished the impossible: creating the Way of the 12 steps after being sober only a short few years ... and include meditation (!) and making the whole deal such a simple process ~ that works for anyone, I think, willing to do it. I felt such sadness for him, that he was not able to truly benefit from what was created, like any 'regular member'.