Sweet Nothing

As several reviews of this film noted, the story of a middle-class person seduced by drugs has been done quite a lot lately. That in itself is not a fault. This movie manages to bring its own perspective to the subject and will hold a viewer's interest.

The main character, Angel (Michael Imperioli), works for some kind of a financial business, but at a pretty low level. He keeps a journal that is extensively quoted from by way of narration. This is a useful device, and not one used solely to make the job of advancing the narrative easier. Through it one gains insight into how easy it is for a person to rationalize selling and using illegal drugs. He tells himself at first that he deserves the money that selling crack brings in. He needs it to provide a good life for his wife and two children. Other people take shortcuts; it's the way of the world. Why shouldn't he? Later he rationalizes the desire to get high, as more and more of his profits go up in smoke. Then he rationalizes crawling headfirst into the crack pipe.

Angel manages to keep a semblance of normal life for some time, but as the desire to get high takes precedent over everything else and as he uses up the almost inexhaustible supply of love given by his wife (Mira Sorvino), the inevitable bottom is finally hit. This movie is commendable in that its main purpose isn't just to see how graphically the squalor of junkie culture can be depicted, though there is plenty of that by the time the film ends. Most frightening is what happens to a friend of Angel's named Raymond (Paul Calderon). While Angel is only concerned with using and getting money to supply his habit, Raymond stays in the business end, becoming a monster capable of any cruelty to protect his own interests. It's a far cry from the buddies we see at the beginning of the film, jubilant over the birth of Angel's second child.

The story was based on journals found in an empty New York apartment. 'Sweet Nothing' mat not be a groundbreaker, but it is a very worthwhile film that makes a niche for itself in a familiar genre.

I noticed, in the credits, that the script is adapted from a journal "found in a cupboard in Queens". I found this movie to be an accurate and, at times, wrenching portrayal of the downward slide of a crack cocaine addict. I can say this absolutely, because I've been there myself. Many of the characterizations and dramatic situations are right on the money, particularly the portrayal of the addict's wife (God, I love Mira Sorvino!), because addicts not only destroy their own lives, but the lives of their loved ones, as well. I empathized with the main character's (Angel's) denial of his problem (ie. "It's YOUR fault I'm in this mess, not mine - you don't understand me! You're trying to bring me down!"). I wish to emphasize that I like this movie, not only because it's accurate, but because it's also a very good movie. I's REAL. Highly recommended!

I saw this movie once while I was in my addiction and once after 16yrs clean,both times hit me in the gut.

Celebrating the birth of his first child, Angel's drinking pal Raymond takes him to a crack den where they both take hits – Angel's first. The first hit is easy and Angel soon finds himself making it a regular habit, but still holding it together enough to keep his job and family happy. Years pass without incident but Angel and Monika are unhappy, they have two kids now and money is always very tight. So when Angel gets the offer to get involved in dealing he takes it and happily watches the money starting to roll in, but with time Angel finds himself sucked into the darker side of the drugs world including violence, drug abuse and murder. As his using gets more frequent, money becomes tighter and Angel gets trapped in a vicious circle.

When a film contains a character who starts dabbling with crack on the basis that he can control it, it seldom surprises an audience to find things spinning out of control and said character falling into a pit of despair with slippery sides. And so it is with this film, it keeps to the plot route that we have been taught to expect from such a film and doesn't do a great deal to vary from it. It will come as no shock to learn that Angel gets out of his depth with the drugs, gets in debt to gangsters, risks his marriage etc etc. The plot never risks keeping us awake by doing anything new and the script pretty much serves up the dialogue you'd expect from the characters. It is interesting enough but it is very formulaic and will bring nothing new to viewers who have seen this story told better in other films.

What just about saves it from being dismissable is some solid delivery from a cast of up and comers. Imperioili has played a man captured by drugs in Sopranos where he was given much better material to work with but he still does well here. He is given average material but still turns in a believable performance – it would be better if it wasn't all so predictable but he does well with what he has. Sorvino is less convincing and never struck me as a believable character; it may have been weaknesses in the writing but her performance doesn't really help. Support from Calderon and a few others in gangster/junkie roles don't do anything special but aren't bad per se and just fill out the space.

Overall this is a fairly formulaic 'drugs are bad' movie that goes just where you expect it to. The writing lacks any real invention and the direction doesn't have the style and flair that others who have tackled this subject usually try to have, but the cast work hard with what they are given and kept me watching even though I could have predicted every scene from 15 minutes onwards.

I caught this one on cable during a night of insomnia. I dialed it in so I could sleep, but it kept me completely awake. The story is small, simple, and familiar. What kept me watching were the wonderful, understated performances by just about everyone, which is usually a tribute to the director as well as the cast. This is not a big film, but it is quite memorable.