Clean and Sober (1988)

the audience applauded

Simply Perfect

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

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 truly a fantastic film in all aspects, it's a shame it's not credited enough, and the performances are incredible!(especially Michael Keaton!), plus Kathy Baker and Keaton had excellent chemistry together. What made me enjoy this film so much is it's realism the rehab center looked so real and Morgan Freeman felt like a real counselor, where as Keaton and Baker felt like real addicts!. The ending while I won't spoil it is very sad and heart wrenching in fact the whole film is, and one of the saddest moments for me in the film is when they let Keaton go from his real Estate Job, plus I loved the slow dance Keaton and Baker had! at the good luck graduation in Rehab. It's also a great film about the dangers that drugs and alcohol can give you,and I feel Michael Keaton's performance is Oscar worthy in my opinion, plus I really liked the disturbing opening as well. I won't reveal much more but overall this film is a must see at all costs, trust me you'll love it!. ***** out of 5 TheActing is incredible!. Michael Keaton is absolutely phenomenal here, he acted like a real addict, he just felt so real, his performance is heart wrenching in every way as you want to see him survive and beat his addiction, as I believe this is one of the best performances ever it's an Oscar worthy performance if you ask me!. Kathy Baker is fantastic here as the trouble drug addict, I felt so sorry for her as she was such a beautiful and amazing woman, you will really feel for her and pray she gets away from that scumbag Lenny!. Morgan Freeman is amazing as usual just his presence alone was good enough, he just felt so real as a counselor and I loved his scenes with Keaton!. M. Emmet Walsh is great in his role he is a great character actor and always brings class which ever movie he is in!. Luca Bercovici is great as the prick Lenny you will hate him for what he does to Charlie(Baker), he played his role really well.

Michael Keaton gave one of the best performances of his career in "Clean and Sober." It is amazing that he was not given anything close to an Oscar nomination for his role. He definitely deserved more recognition than he got. Nonetheless, he proves here he can do a serious role quite well.Keaton is Daryl Poynter, a yuppie real estate broker who is oblivious to his alcohol and cocaine addiction. He has embezzled $92,000 from the company escrow account and invested it in the stock market. But he lost this gamble, and now must quickly recover the money or face serious embezzlement charges and termination. As if that's not enough, he wakes up one morning to find a dead girl in his bed from an overdose (someone he partied with the night before). The police are on his case about the dead girl, the girl's father has posted fliers around the neighborhood branding Daryl a murderer, and his employers are about to discover his embezzlement. Daryl is in a bind, and needs to hide out for a while to straighten things out. He tries to leave town, but his credit cards are maxed out. He is turned away from staying at a friend's house, so he gets his own idea: a drug rehabilitation clinic promising discretion and confidentiality. Thus, he takes advantage of it.The catch is that Daryl does not think he has a problem, and only wants to hide out in the clinic rather than face the music. His saving grace may be counselor and former addict Craig, played by Morgan Freeman. Craig is a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is type of person, and has seen and heard all of Daryl's lies and tricks. Daryl must play by the rules and face his addiction, or get expelled from the facility. He begins his slow transformation when he meets Charlie Standers, played by Kathy Baker, in rehab. Charlie operates a steel mill crane, and lives with an abusive addict boyfriend named Lenny. When Daryl gets to know her better, he offers her a way out of her situation. He also comes to like her, although she does not feel the same way about him right away. But controlling someone else's problems and destinies is next to impossible (even a bit conceited), as Daryl finds out the hard way and through his AA sponsor Richard, played by M. Emmet Walsh. Will he see the light and admit to his problems before it's too late? Can Charlie find the courage to leave Lenny, or is she headed toward destruction?I highly recommend "Clean and Sober" for anyone who has ever had a substance abuse problem, knows someone who has, or is a family member or friend of an addict. No matter the circumstances, this film is truly a wonderful depiction of the consequences involved with addictions of any kind. The good news is that if one is willing to admit to their problems and get help, with consistent effort there is light at the end of the tunnel. A terrific film with realistic people and challenges!

If you want to truly enjoy this movie, watch it with someone who has been through rehab (well, actually, he did a couple of times) and has some recovery time. (about 20 years at the time we watched this movie together) My friend and I watched this movie and He was fully impressed as was I, having seen this process taking place in the lives of several of my friends.Micheal Keaton's character goes through all the stages of recovery; the crash and burn - hitting bottom, faking it, making it and getting on the road of recovery. With a sponsor who is exactly what he needed - a bastard with a heart - he gains insight into his own life and finds his direction.What I enjoyed was that the movie did not pound a point into us. As if we could not get the concept. It let us gather in what was told and watch what happened. We see some in sight into the mind of the addict, without it being a person we really could care less about. Some how we feel for him and want him to find a good path.My friend told me that the scenes in rehab were authentic, complete with the sex that takes place. 13th stepping as they call it.Keaton plays the role so well you can forget who he is and take in the character.If you know someone who is working a recovery, you might enjoy watching this with them, not only for what they can tell you, but for what you might learn about them.