Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

oshngrl I really love this film. As a recovering alcoholic/addict myself, I greatly appreciate the straightforward, honest telling of this story of the intersecting lives found in a recovery house and AA meetings.The plot is centered around Michael Keaton's character Daryl Poynter, a man whose cocaine addiction has wreaked havoc in his life and those he has touched.Daryl needs a safe haven to hide out while he figures out how to clean up the mess he's made. While having no intention of getting or staying sober, he cannily surmises that he is untouchable in the anonymity of a recovery house.As a recovering addict I can tell you many people end up in recovery believing they are the only person in the room who really doesn't need to be there, and it is only an accident of fate that led to their being in treatment.I greatly admire Tod Carrol for writing a character who at the outset is not meekly begging for relief from addiction and is instead brought to the realization he is an addict in spite of his repeated denials.In 1987 this country was suffering from 2 decades of cocaine saturation yet many people in the grips of addiction were unaware there was a place to go where people successfully conquered their need to self destruct. This timely and honest film brought to the forefront the dilemma of the everyday common man caught in a cycle he is not prepared to acknowledge, whose life improves with recovery despite his every attempt to sabotage it.Along with superb writing and Michael Keaton's unflinching portrayal of Daryl Poynter, Kathy Bates brilliantly portrays Charlie, a fellow addict trapped in a codependent, addictive relationship, with Morgan Freeman playing Craig, a savvy, world weary counselor who believes in recovery. The stellar supporting cast play their roles without a single false note, particularly M. Emmet Walsh as Richard Dirks, the man who becomes Daryl's sponsor.Despite being 20 years old, the premise of this film is as fresh and relevant today as it was 20 years ago, if not more so.I looked up the film awards for 1988 and this film was not on anybody's radar, which was a shame. How many people could have been made aware of the choices had this film received the accolades it deserved? I read the Variety review of "Clean and Sober" describing it as "too grim" and I just have to say I wonder what they were snorting."Clean and Sober", more than anything, is an honest foray into the pitfalls of alcoholism and addiction and the inevitable outcome most of us would succumb to in similar circumstances, yet it is not grim because of it's strong message of the hope found in recovery, if we just give it a chance.

disdressed12 i've always liked Michael Keaton,and i've seen him in lots of comedic roles maybe one or two dramatic roles,but nothing quite like this.he proves his versatility here,with a career performance,in my opinion.i don't think it's giving too much away to say that Keaton plays a character who has hit rock bottom and keeps on digging.he's an alcoholic and a drug addict,and and in deep financially.so,what starts as a purely selfish decision on his apart becomes a life changing experience.but lets not forget the supporting performances.Morgan Freeman, Kathy Baker,Tate Donovan were all strong,but a standout for me was Luca Bercovici as Lenny.now,back to the film.i found it all quite compelling,but it was the ending which really moved me.it was very understated,yet powerful.the words spoken in the last scene were perfect.for me,Clean and Sober is a 9/10

Studioart81 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!

A_Minor_Blip A spoiler is when you give away the ending, so basically if there is a spoiler warning, it's a warning not to read this review unless you saw the film, so this review is for the fans of this movie. I think it's a great film. Each time I see it I like it even more. But, at the same time, each time I get let-down by the ending. It's so lame and contrived when Kathy Baker is driving and then a car crashes into her car and then she's dead and poof, Michael Keaton is talking to his sponsor crying and the next scene he gives a speech about how much he went through, thus mentioning a funeral - and then the movie ends. Kathy's character only dies for to aid the main character's plight, i.e. to give him closure, and I hate when this kind of thing happens, when a character has to die to help a more important character progress. But no matter, this is a great film for one hour and forty minutes. You'll really feel as if you're anticipating Keaton's every move. His acting is awesome. And it's great to see Morgan Freeman. This is before he got the fame he deserved. One great scene is when Keaton is in rehab and about to move on to the next step, going from his detox pajamas to regular clothes, and he walks out of the television room with the news on and as he does an airplane on the screen that had been taken over by hijackers the day before suddenly explodes. The hijacker story on the TV began when Keaton was first admitted into the hospital and then ended in tragedy after Keaton is done detoxing, and it's symbolic of how, when getting sober, nothing else really matters... the world could be ending on the outside but you're still just trying to get to the next step. It also showed the selfishness of his character, not caring about anything or anyone but himself. Keaton keeps his character as a selfish jerk, even when he gets nice and cleans up, and that's realistic and quite refreshing because sobriety doesn't dissolve the selfish personality traits that led to the addiction in the first place. I recommend 'Clean and Sober' (or as we used to call it: 'Scene and Clover') highly except for the ending. But you know that already having read this review.