Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Silver Damsen I saw this film when I was still active in AA. Because of the harm that AA did to me and the harm I saw it do to others, I have since become a member of the Anti-AA community. I respect the film's slickness, but I also fear it.Most striking about the film is how it takes several of Bill Wilson's most notorious true behaviors, such as his rampant cheating on his wife; his asking for alcohol on his death bed; the general rumor that he was manipulate and unhappy; and used LSD, and somehow reinvents them so that the viewer leaves the film feeling that all of this just proves even more that Bill W. was a truly "spiritual" and blessed individual.It is an interesting film because I think it helps to understand how and why AA considers itself "spiritual" when it more accurately is one of the more dangerous of the active and semi-accepted cults in the US today, such as the KKK and Scientology. AA is more dangerous than its less respected cousins because everything that indicates that there is something seriously wrong with the culture of AA, is somehow turned so that the viewer concludes at the end that "Of course, cheating on your wife is just fine for a spiritual leader, such as Bill W" even if the same people would make the opposite conclusion if a political leader did the same.Thus, the film is most useful in demonstrating how the superior marketing of AA has made it a "spiritual" institution, despite its corrupt standards of ethics and morals. However, this knowledge comes at the risk of being brainwashed by the film itself and actually believing its definition of "spirituality."

jo-185-56717 First off, I'm not a recovering alcoholic so the movie didn't strike a chord in me on that level. However, I do respect Bill W.'s work tremendously. Unfortunately, the movie failed to deliver in my opinion. While it offered an amazing inside in the founder of AA, its presentation was lacking all over. Throughout the whole movie I felt like they could have wrapped this up into a 30 minute piece for the history channel (with better writing) which would still do the man justice if well done. The detailed story dragged on for what felt like days, the reenactment was "ok" but really nothing special and I could have dealt with less. It took the director 9 years to make this which explains the slow paste this movie had IMO. Again, a needed portrait of an important person - but a little documentary piece wrapped into a whole movie. I'm sure AA members see it different.

Lark W Yes ~ I can't say enough Good. As one other reviewer mentioned, I experience the same ~ impossible not to be a bit biased since I am passionate about the material ... and the man. The film needs to be around More, in the theatres. I'd see it again ... and bring a bandwagon. The acting was great and I liked the way the Facts were conveyed. William Griffith Wilson was not a saint, in the sense that he was not perfect ... like each of us are not ~ but I put him in the same category as Martin Luther King, Buddha, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Echart Tolle, Earnest Holmes, Joseph Campbell, Jesus Christ, et. al.The man was brilliant, and he accomplished the impossible: creating the Way of the 12 steps after being sober only a short few years ... and include meditation (!) and making the whole deal such a simple process ~ that works for anyone, I think, willing to do it. I felt such sadness for him, that he was not able to truly benefit from what was created, like any 'regular member'.

synsays I almost didn't go see this movie because of the negative reviews about it. One reviewer commented that only AA people would like the film. That's not true. I am not AA people and I thought it was fantastic! I am so glad that I saw it anyways. At the end of this moving film, I was speechless and in tears. Such an inspiring film. Don't miss it! You'll be glad you saw it. Bill W. is heralded as one of the most important people in the past 100 years. This film shows clearly why he deserves his place among the greatest. I loved how the film showed the times through the typewriting of letters. One reviewer complained about that aspect of it as well. All I can say is don't miss this film due to the haters. It's a film for everyone, not just alcoholics.