Drunks

I rented this and was very surprised by how good it was.

The writing was so strong and the actors took those words and soared. There is not one false note. It felt like a CASSAVETTES film. Honesty on screen is what I look for in films.

This film felt like real life. Real time. I could relate to these characters. Feel their pain.

Their stories were compelling. I couldn't take my eyes of the screen

My favorite performances were Lisa Gay Hamilton and the late Howard Rollins.

They moved me to tears. I hope this movie gets to be seen by others who are struggling with addiction. The message finally got to me and it is interesting that it came to me in the guise of a movie. I am now going out and buying the DVD and the play that the film is based on.

Thank you to the film makers.

Maybe the best movie about substance abuse I've ever seen...and I've seen most of them.

Gritty, realistic, darkly humorous, and deadly serious.

Richard Lewis at his best. Excellent supporting cast.

Watch it two or three times to catch all the subtleties of the various subplots.

This movie is an absolute must-see for anybody in recovery from alcoholism or drug addiction. This goes double for those recovering from both.

Also good for friends and loved ones of people in recovery.

"Drunks" is a satisfying glimpse into an AA meeting. The setting is realistic; it takes place in what appears to be a basement room of a church - there is coffee, cigarette smoking, and people who are on the edge. The movie's strength resides in its incredibly gifted cast: Diane Wiest (a particularly superb, understated performance to which we've become accustomed), Harold Robbins, Jr.,(you can feel his tension), Spaulding Grey (the ultimate humorist), Amanda Plummer (fantastic), Sam Rockwell (who is, unfortunately, underutilized). Also giving nice turns are Calista Flockhart (not yet marked with the Ally McBeal imprint) and Faye Dunaway (whose rich, deep voice resonates as ever). And, of course, there's Richard Lewis, who effectively applies his ample, frenetic energy in a bold, dramatic direction as a recovering alcoholic who takes a nose-dive off the wagon. We watch as Lewis's partners from AA, worried about his sobriety, try in vain to contact him. Meanwile, the movie turns it focus to the other characters attending the meeting. Some may be of the opinion that this movie should have allowed the main characters more time to develop their personal stories. However, not all people who attend an AA meeting say that much - or actively participate at all. While this was disappointing in the sense that one is left wanting more screen time from such capable actors, the writer and director maintained the veracity of the subject matter. "Drunks" provides the viewer with a realistic depiction of addiction as a symptom of "inner demons." The characters whose lives we get to peek into share this manifestation of the pain they carry deep inside, but their monologues shows us that the reasons for their pain are unique. Unlike, "Days of Wine and Roses," where the plot revolves around how just two characters play off of each other, "Drunks" uses short vignettes - almost like headlines - to punctuate a multitude of perspectives on the same disease.

An inside peek at the goings-on of an unusually attractive Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Richard Lewis's character exists to provide a moral center for the film as it examines his desperate efforts to stay sober. The various members of the AA group provide different glimpses at what contributes to alcoholism and demonstrate that there is no one profile for what constitutes a "drunk."

There are very nice performances in this film, particularly those of a pre-Ally McBeal Calista Flockhart and Parker Posey. The film's scene stealer and the most memorable drunk of all, however, is monologuist Spalding Grey, doing a hilarious turn as a church choir member who shows up at the wrong church. In the midst of explaining his blunder to the group he rhapsodizes brilliantly on the importance of Guinness in his life and discovers quietly that gee, maybe he too has a drinking problem.

Overall the individual performances divert attention from the main storyline and provide more of a center for the film than Lewis, whose story is ultimately uninteresting. But check it out for Spalding Grey, who is probably the most natural actor in the film and a true pleasure to watch.

As a recovering alcoholic, and having seen some of the "preachy" movies, or the drama of Days of Wine and Roses, I found this movie to be just what it is, an AA meetings. Nothing to prove. Nothing to say. Each telling his story and one can take what he needs, and leave the rest. I enjoyed it as a means of letting others get an inside look at a meeting. Not much else to say. As for the relapse of Lewis, and his going back out and using, it was OK, but his return at the end, starting all over again, is just the way it is. Good movie, but not good enough to watch again and again.