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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Revisiting this film, having seen it last about 10 years ago, was refreshing to see that it still impressed me. It's the story of how a PR man with alcoholic tendencies (Jack Lemmon) meets, falls in love, marries and "corrupts" Lee Remick, and soon they're both alcoholics. Starting almost as a romantic comedy and turning bleaker every minute to an amazing ending: if you see it with someone you'll end up talking about what happens next. Blake Edwards directs it with a very good hand, his style closer to his previous "Breakfast at Tiffany's" rather than any of his later comedies. As for extras, the director provides a commentary track and there's a trailer and a vintage interview with Jack Lemmon. Warner Bros has put some care into the restoration and the picture looks amazing.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a really, really good film. It tells the story of how Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon), once a successful Public Relations man descends into alcoholism and then finds recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous.
During Joes drinking days, there are many similarities with Bill's story in the Big Book. The main difference being that Joe has a child and an alcoholic wife. Both Joe and his wife (Remick) can act drunk brilliantly - I'm pretty sure that they actually were. Lemmon far exceeds James Woods in `My Name is Bill' with the delirium tremors.
After many failed attempts to quit, Joe finds himself in an asylum where he is approached by a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous, Jim Hungerford. He pokes a cigarette through the bars, straight into Joe's mouth and says `I'm here to offer you help'. From then on it's all Big Book. Jim becomes his sponsor and within a few months he is recovered.
No A.A. member is ever seen out of a suit and the meetings are all chaired from a stand up position behind a lectern. When Joe suffers a personal crisis, he calls his sponsor who is round his house within the hour.
When Jim approaches his father in law to `square accounts', he does it as described in the Big Book and presents a cheque as his first instalment. You'll recognize a lot of quotes from the Big Book.
The allergy concept of alcoholism is dealt with when Joe's wife refuses to attend meetings. She says that she can quit drinking on her own will power. It gives the film the opportunity to let the characters talks about the allergy and phenomenon of craving.
I think I am correct in saying that the writers collaborated closely with A.A and it shows. I have also read that both Lemmon and Remick sought help through A.A. years after the film was made.
This is a well made, well acted and accurate portrayal of Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous. I would recommend it to anyone.
During Joes drinking days, there are many similarities with Bill's story in the Big Book. The main difference being that Joe has a child and an alcoholic wife. Both Joe and his wife (Remick) can act drunk brilliantly - I'm pretty sure that they actually were. Lemmon far exceeds James Woods in `My Name is Bill' with the delirium tremors.
After many failed attempts to quit, Joe finds himself in an asylum where he is approached by a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous, Jim Hungerford. He pokes a cigarette through the bars, straight into Joe's mouth and says `I'm here to offer you help'. From then on it's all Big Book. Jim becomes his sponsor and within a few months he is recovered.
No A.A. member is ever seen out of a suit and the meetings are all chaired from a stand up position behind a lectern. When Joe suffers a personal crisis, he calls his sponsor who is round his house within the hour.
When Jim approaches his father in law to `square accounts', he does it as described in the Big Book and presents a cheque as his first instalment. You'll recognize a lot of quotes from the Big Book.
The allergy concept of alcoholism is dealt with when Joe's wife refuses to attend meetings. She says that she can quit drinking on her own will power. It gives the film the opportunity to let the characters talks about the allergy and phenomenon of craving.
I think I am correct in saying that the writers collaborated closely with A.A and it shows. I have also read that both Lemmon and Remick sought help through A.A. years after the film was made.
This is a well made, well acted and accurate portrayal of Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous. I would recommend it to anyone.
43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
A bitter sweet portrayal of alcoholism which although filmed some 40 years ago in B&W remains fresh and contemporary.
A journey into the lives of Lemmon a fast-talking PR exec and his country gal young wife who struggle with alcoholism and the desperate search for filling the inner void. It contains a number of subtleties that are positioned with a great deftness- Remick's chocolate addiction, fleeting moments of Lemmon's insecurity and vulnerability, his quest to be liked by everyone and the masks they wear. These touches give the film a depth of credibility, which anyone who has encountered first hand alcoholism can relate to.
The film is a journey from the social drinking of the workplace, to the insanity of those final days where an alcoholic reaches their rock bottom.
The final scene is gut wrenching and yet very moving it will stay with me forever and is a reminder what cunning, baffling and powerful illness alcoholism is.
Still waiting for a better movie on addiction to be made.
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