ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Iseerphia All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Aubrey Hackett 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.

sexwizardmoustache This film barely brushes over the reality of alcoholism. Clearly the writer/director hasn't bothered to do any research on the disorder. So don't make a film about it? There are many issues with this film, but I'll address the main one which bothered me, which is the fact that withdrawal symptoms are not addressed. This is baffling, because physical dependence and withdrawal is one of the most difficult aspects of giving up alcohol. In fact, alcohol is the most dangerous substance to withdraw from and leads to sweats, shaking, tremors, fevers, dangerously high blood pressure, racing heart, among other things, and in extreme cases, life-threatening seizures, hallucinations, gastric bleeding, and death (DTs). Alcohol detox is usually done under medical supervision because it's dangerous to come off it otherwise. In fact, 33% of alcoholics who attempt to come off alcohol cold turkey without medical supervision die. That's a pretty high number. In this film, on day 1 of no alcohol, the protagonist is totally fine, and able to attend a meeting with no visible physical signs of withdrawal. This simply wouldn't happen. He would wake up shaking and barely be able to walk or get out of bed, because his neurochemistry would be highly overactive having compensated for prolonged periods of alcohol, with no alcohol present anymore to counteract it. Granted, everyone has different experiences with withdrawal in terms of variations in symptoms, but no one would get off this easy if they were physically addicted to alcohol. Then all of a sudden, it's 30 days later and he mentions insomnia as a withdrawal symptom, but withdrawal symptoms would be well and truly resolved by then (it generally takes 5-10 days for detox). Also, with physical dependence of alcohol, each withdrawal will be worse and more severe than the last (known as kindling). In Guthrie's attempt number two of giving up alcohol, he's on a plane to Prague. And again, he's totally fine. Yeah, this would not happen. He'd quite possibly be convulsing on the floor of his apartment by then. Overall, this is a highly glossed over, and inaccurate depiction of alcoholism, and doesn't do justice to the seriousness and difficulties of the disease. It's pretty much a romantic comedy mainly concerned with Guthrie's love life that deals with alcoholism on the side. If you want to watch a movie that accurately depicts the reality of alcoholism, watch Leaving Las Vegas. Frankly, sick of these movies perpetuating the misconception that alcoholism is a walk in the park, and treat it as a joke, when it couldn't be further from the truth. People need to understand the seriousness of withdrawal where actual physical dependence of alcohol has occurred. If you or anyone you know decide to come off alcohol after a long period of heavy drinking, please seek medical help if you start having withdrawal symptoms, because they can kill you. No, giving up alcohol is not a wall in the park or a plane trip to Prague, and it is irresponsible of this movie to depict it as such.

david-rector-85092 'Ruben Guthrie' and the titular lead are, as the movie garishly opens, hard to like; but much to this viewer's surprise, by the end of the film, some empathy and affection are afforded them both. I have enjoyed Brendan Cowell's screen work on both big and small, and thought it an inspired piece of casting to have what seems like his doppelganger, Patrick Brammall in the central role. I guess it was more than enough to adapt your own stage play and direct the picture! He has cast an actor with either a brilliant ability to channel the writer/director's life force, or just maybe they are two peas in a pod, Brammall is really finding his position as one of the country's most versatile and likable actors; even here as the at times despicable title character. The transposing from stage to screen feels fine to me; other than some at times overly heightened dialogue and performance; but I forgave those moments as being part and parcel of the over the top world of advertising and the spin off of partying and excess from the job. Has it been satirized here or made a cliché? Either way, it worked for me. I wondered how Cowell would trace the (anti) hero's journey and conclusion and along the way there are enough surprising moments to keep the viewer connected and rooting for the protagonist. Brammall chews the scenery and is equally adept in the screwball moments as the soberingly tender ones.Robyn Nevin was fine, as ever, and especially her one to one with 'Ruben' at the bar was a truly uncomfortable scene,and reiteration of why Ms Nevin is one of the most respected and enduring actors in Australia. Harriet Dyer as the hippy chick with her own baggage, was the revelation for me; I was both intrigued and moved by her performance. It was; aside from Ruben, the most fully fleshed of the supporting players. I had a few issues with the writing and oddly pitched performance of the usually reliable Alex Dimitriades; as the gay bestie,but once on the 'Ruben Guthrie' conveyor belt, I was along for the ride; even with its occasional jarring ingredients. This movie does have a lot to say about substance abuse and makes no easy answers or saccharine summaries to leave the viewer with. There is much texture here, and for me that is attributable to the writing and directing that Brendan Cowell delivers. It's not perfect; nor is the main character - but Patrick Brammall makes him human and flawed - just the way I like my leading characters on screen.

MartinHafer "Ruben Guthrie" is a strange film about alcoholism...strange because I really have no idea what it's trying to say. Still, despite this and a very strange ending, the acting is quite nice.The film begins with Ruben behaving like a drunk frat-boy--which is sad since he's supposed to be an adult. After his latest crazy binge, his live-in girlfriend has had enough and she leaves--vowing only to return IF he manages to stay sober for the next year. Ruben's commitment to sobriety at first is extremely shallow and he doesn't think he has a problem. But, over time and after the alcohol leaves his system, he slowly comes to see that he IS an alcoholic and becomes actively involved with Alcoholics Anonymous.Patrick Brammall is very good as Ruben and much of the script seemed very well done and seemed to have a lot of insights into not just alcoholism but how the families and friends of addicts often do a lot to try to keep the person actively drinking and screwing up their lives. But the film also seems to have lost a sense of direction and the ending is anti-climactic to say the very least.

m-z-de Boring, not funny, one dimensional characters. Robyn Nevin and Aaron Bertram must be given some credit for doing the best they could with such a poor script. Jack Thomson plays Jack Thomson. Abbey Lee is a model not an actress, too obvious in this film. Not sure if viewer was suppose to feel this way: But I wanted to throw 'Chet' (Brenton Thwaites) from the office balcony, character should have been hanging at a skate park, not working in a large Advertising Company. Alex Dimitriades played Alex Dimitriades. Not much more I could say but 'disappointed' in portrayal of a topic that many have had to deal with i.e.: alcoholics.