Clean and Sober (1988)

People are voting emotionally.

Memorable, crazy movie

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Was so surprised this was filmed in Darby, PA. I know you are thinking why would they do that, not exactly Beverly Hills let alone Compton. I think it is theee only time I have even heard a reference to this town and have not been there in decades. Well so much for all the excitement in this production.Have known addicts most of my life and it appears the reviews praise such an accurate portrayal. I found the dialogue plodding and too many gratuitous scenes of Keaton being a jerk, we get it, he's an ahole. And then he spends 30days in rehab and is completely ready for a LIVE-IN relationship, yeah right. He shows no improvement in his dealings with anyone else, hence huge plot hole here.Suggest you watch Ray Milland in "Lost Weekend", now that's an addict my friends and what a wild ride he took us on! "Clean and Sober" is just window dressing compared to Milland's portrayal. I was extremely bored with the incessant panning to dumbstruck facial expressions and lack of realistic conversations. This is a difficult topic to address, I appreciate that, but to downplay the process, even despite two deaths, was an insult to all struggling addicts in recovery.I have enjoyed many Keaton projects and this is definitely a departure from Batman or BeetleJuice, so be prepared for a letdown. I cannot recommend this film for any purpose other than a shallow introspection of an addict in denial. Oh, and EVERYBODY smokes non- stop, extremely annoying, cough!

I'm glad I finally sat down to watch this movie, despite the fact that the region 1 DVD release of the movie (the version I saw) used a very crummy print. Although the movie doesn't go full-throttle to depict the real hell some addicts go through, the movie still has several uncomfortable (as they should be) scenes that give us some idea of the life of an addict. I also appreciated that the movie ends with not everything rosy in the main character's life, that there is still a lot of work for him to go through. Keaton gives a real solid performance - I didn't think of his comic roles in other movies while watching this movie. Though Morgan Freeman and M. Emmett Walsh also deserve kudos for their supporting roles. My only real objection is that the subplot about the woman who died in Keaton's character's home at the beginning of the movie is dropped around the midway point and never brought up again. From what I saw, the cops and the father of the woman should have still been searching for Keaton. Otherwise, this is a real good movie, well worth your time.

Clean and Sober is quit different from most movies I have seen dealing with drugs (as a main theme). Most of the film takes place during and after rehab, which is somewhat unusual (but not bad in any way). Michel Keaton is really good as a drug addict. The role is different, but shows his more serious and adult side. This being said, the movie, unlike most drug movies, isn't really "powerful" or extremely dramatic. In fact, its rather dry in that area, but is still good (and even somewhat better than a lot of drug films) because its very realistic and believable. It also goes in depth with the characters personal lives outside of drugs, rather than focus on their actual drug addiction. Its a good movie overall, definitely recommended to any fan of Michael Keaton or anyone who likes well made but realistic drama's. I rate it 8/10. Rated R for Strong Language, nudity and drug use

Clean And Sober was one of those little films that critics loved, but didn't appeal to the mass audience and thus is unfairly forgotten. I have always admired Michael Keaton's work. He is one of those actors who can do both comedy and drama and do it very well. 1988 was an incredible year for Keaton, he was even featured on the cover of Newsweek. He was in two films that year where he played parts that were as different from each other as night and day and he was awesome in both. In Beetlejuice he played a comedy part. He was hilarious as a lecherous scuzzball from hell. He was just too funny to be scary. That was as original a comedy as you would ever see and it was due largely to Keaton's wonderful performance. In Clean And Sober he plays a dramatic role just as awesomely. This film is dark and gritty and at times depressing. You feel drawn into the darkened world of drug addiction where there is no hope and no light at the end of the tunnel. Watching Darryl Pointer's tortured life reminded me of a poem I heard that went Now hollow fires burn out to black and the lights are dimming low Square your shoulders lift your pack leave your friends and go Fear not my friends, naughts to dread look not left or right In all the endless hell you walk there is nothing but the night Darryl is a real "anti-hero" in so many ways. He is self centered, very abrasive and he just checks himself into the rehab center to get the heat off himself because after a night of boozing and coking there is a dead girl in his bed. At first glance, Darryl is a real sob (even Keaton said that he was at first tempted to turn this role down because "this guy is such a pig"). BUT, but you still care about this guy because Michael Keaton's amazing acting makes Darryl seem so real to you. You say to yourself "God help him, let him see the light before its too late". Morgan Freeman was relatively unknown at the time, but he carries the load as Darryl's almost saintly counselor. There is one scene that takes place when they are both at a urinal (how touching!) where he tells Keaton to take it one step and one second at a time. SPOILER ALERT!SPOILER ALERT! Kathy Baker gives a fine performance as well as another addict that Darryl ends up really connecting to. You feel so sorry for this woman and sense the pain that she has inside as well. I think her biggest problem was just plain self hatred. How can other people love you if you don't love yourself? The most painful lesson that Darryl learns is that you can't control other people's lives and change their destinies. It's wonderful when you see this man who was so self centered start caring about other people and realize the truth about his own addictions. Critics raved about Keaton's performance one said "Give Michael Keaton the Oscar for Clean and Sober" Maybe its because this film was so dark and gritty and almost "film noir" like that it wasn't given the credit that it so justly deserves.