There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011)

So much average

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Admirable film.

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

The underlying factor of this film is why was Diane Schuler using drugs/alcohol & self medicating? The film delves into details about Diane's childhood, such as home life, friends, school, but fails to search for details as to why she refused, for some time, to have needed dental work done, that caused the chronic pain leading her to self medicate this day & take 8 lives, including her own. There were dental records including pain medication(s) prescribed & mention of her leaving in the middle of a dental procedure. This is where the film should've focused, as they had focused on her home/work life as an adult/mother. The film tries to portray Diane as the second coming of Mother Teresa & deflects the blame on her husband, who's spent the aftermath making excuses & blaming everything/everyone but he & Diane. Diane was DUI at the time of the crash from alcohol/marijuana, self medicating for severe pain in the teeth/jaw/cheek. They portrayed Diane as a strong-willed leader at home/work, yet she repeatedly refused to have her dental issues resolved. This film should've been on Lifetime, not HBO. Lifetime, where women are always victims of men & never to blame.

There is no doubt that there was alcohol and THC in Diane's blood stream, that is FACT. I watched the entire family deny the facts for the entire 'documentary'. What this film failed to explain was HOW Diane was that intoxicated. First off, THC is getting a bad rap here. THC is stored in a persons fat cells. It will remain in your system for anywhere between 1 week and a few months depending on that persons body mass, their personal metabolism and their usage of marijuana. It was revealed that Diane did in fact smoke marijuana. According to the family, she and she alone indulged occasionally. The family was coming home from a weekend camping trip. I'm 99% sure that while on this relaxing trip Diane would have consumed marijuana. There is hardly a better place to indulge. Campfire, marshmallows, the great outdoors...it's a great place to smoke some marijuana and enjoy life. It makes sense that the toxicology report came back positive for marijuana. What is total bullshit is the report saying she smoked 'an hour' to 'four hours' (I think that is what was said) before the accident. There is no way to tell when she consumed the THC. Also, from daily personal experience, marijuana does not make you aggressive, it's calming and relaxing. There is no way that THC is responsible for this accident. Now for the alcohol. I've been blind to alcoholism in the past with some very close friends. When people are true alcoholics, they are addicted and need the alcohol to survive. Diane was a professional and successful business woman and mother. Does anyone know anyone who can perform like Diane did while being sloppy drunk? Nope, it's impossible. This is how alcoholics function. They maintain a constant buzz throughout the day. A little bit here, a little bit there, but a little bit all day long will take it's toll. So here are my questions for the family or for Liz Garbus... -The Absolute Bottle that was found in the car. Was it the same bottle that was in the Schuler's camper over the weekend? Was it full? How much was left in the bottle when Diane got in the car on Sunday? Had the Schuler's been enjoying some vodka drinks over the weekend? I don't know because that was never discussed. It seems that if the Schuler's just 'had a bottle in their camper' it was for drinking. There is nothing wrong with drinking when done in moderation. So, did anyone drink that weekend? Kinda a big question that Liz decided to omit in the film. -Same question about the marijuana. Did anyone else indulge over the weekend? More importantly, did Diane's husband witness her indulge? That would clear up a lot in the toxicology report. The film had a comment about marijuana being a hallucinogen...not true. It's possible for a first time/non regular user to experience some hallucinogenic properties but it is rare. Anyone who regularly uses marijuana will not experience any hallucinations. The big questions are... -Did Diane stop anywhere else before getting to the toll booth on the Tappen Zee bridge? I'm sure there are credit card receipts that show purchases at the McDonalds/Gas station...did she stop anywhere else? There is only so much vodka on can fit in a coffee mug or soda cup...she would have been sipping on while driving, not slamming shots. Therefore she would have needed to stop multiple times to refill her beverage. I also don't see this being the case. She was a responsible woman and held down a high position job while maintaining her family. -When and where would she have smoked marijuana? I find it hard enough to find a 'safe' place to indulge while traveling and I'm by myself. Diane had a van load of children. Did she just leave 5 kids a go have a walkabout and smoke a joint somewhere? I don't see how this is possible either. We will never know what happens until the Schuler family stops the denial. What really happened that weekend at Lake Hunter? How did Diane get onto the Taconic and WHY??? She was heading away from her destination. Even in 2009 we had road cameras and tracking capabilities. What was the time frame from the time that they left the toll booth/placed the phone call/left phone on highway to the time of the accident? Did they stop somewhere between the toll booth and the accident? Is there no DOT footage showing Diane's car en route to the Taconic? Is there something else in the toxicology report that has been omitted? Did she perhaps buy some marijuana at the truck stop that was laced with PCP? That would make sense but just not true. There is a big puzzle piece missing from this story and until the Schuler's open up it will never be known. Diane was indeed impaired, but how, that is the main question. For one to become 'blackout' drunk there needs to be some serious alcohol consumption. I just don't see how she could have consumed that much alcohol in the time frame in question as well as with her surroundings and children. Save yourself 3 hours and watch something else. I say 3 hours because I've spent over an hour writing this review.

There's a fatal traffic accident that left aunt Diane, her daughter, 3 nieces and 3 men in the other car dead. The case is revealed slowly. In fact, it's done too slowly. What went wrong? After watching so many police procedurals, it's obviously that we need the tox report but they keep holding it off. Instead, they keep going to family and friends who repeat the same sentiment. She's a great mom, and they have no idea what happened. Once we really get into it. It is a fascinating story. The family starts giving more insights. The story gets moving. However in the end, we don't really get the whole story. The movie could be a simple hour-long investigative piece that ties in with the larger drug epidemic. It's not necessary to drag this out so much.

Be warned! This movie stuck with me for nearly a week. After it ended I was kind of in shock for the rest of the day. Many may have experienced a similar feeling after seeing Schindler's List, but even that movie contained more hope than this.This is one of the highest quality documentaries I've seen. Very well done. The suspense builds throughout as husband and sister-in-law battle to prove that Diane was not under the influence; that an autopsy stating the contrary had to be a mistake. The film never states this one way or the other, but by the end you will know. It doesn't even come close to preaching on this subject, but makes the point in an extremely powerful, yet subtle way.We first hear about the victims, and the accident, see and hear bits of the funerals. Then we hear the coroner's statement, and think, 'Oh, no, this couldn't be true.', and identify with the denial of Diane's family.Towards the end, we see that Daniel, the widower, seems cold and immature. He does not seem very warm to his young son, the only survivor. I could imagine feeling something like 'My God, you are all I have left, I'm lucky to have you, I love you.' But he says, 'I never even wanted to have kids, and now I'm stuck with this, I'm a single parent.' Okay... There's a heartbreaking scene where the two are walking and Bryan tries to hold his Dad's hand, Dad responds a little and Bryan ultimately gives up. I'm glad Bryan was finally able to at least get therapy.To me the true hero of the story is Jay, the sister-in-law. You can see that she really cares for all of her family involved, and especially for Bryan. She is probably the best person in his life.Driving is an awesome responsibility, and anytime we drive our own or someone else's child, it is even more so. Many of us spend our days shuffling kids here and there, this really makes you pause and think. And...the idea of having anything in your system, even with the excuse of trying to dull the pain of a severe toothache, there is just no way that anyone should even consider getting behind the wheel in that state, let alone consuming more as one is driving.Part of Diane's problem seemed to be that no one could ever tell her what to do or not do. So, she refused to get her teeth cared for as she should have, and when she then had severe pain, treated it her own way, a choice that led to the deaths of eight people, including four young children, causing horrible grief for all the families involved.