FireSprite

I know this has come up on the board before, but I had put off seeing this movie for a while. While I knew it addressed alcoholism, I really didn't understand that that is really the centerpoint of the storyline.

It was very realistic, even difficult to watch at times. Denzel Washington did such an amazing job in this movie - I believed he WAS a high functioning A. IMO, he was able to showcase the person, the alcoholic & the person trapped inside the alcoholism of this character.

In an ironic twist, I put the movie in while RAH was at a meeting because I wasn't trying to pressure him into watching something with an alcoholism theme, but he ended up home earlier than I expected, just after the credits started rolling through the opening scenes. (d@mn expectations, creeping in again! lol)

We watched the whole thing together, riveted, with very little conversation except for the occasional under-the-breath "wow", "holy crap" or "omg" from one or the other.

This is a GREAT movie, IMO.

Lewis73

yep. The mini bar scene was when I finally got it....they have NO control.

Watched it with my wife who saw similarities with herself, although - of course - not the really bad ones!

Lyssy

I just watched it a couple of weeks ago. I too knew the story line (alcoholism).

I too waited to watch alone. rAH was at a meeting. rAH has a very BAD habit of talking his way through a movie (any movie) and I wanted to watch it without interjections. I agree - it is a very powerful movie. I was actually pi$$ed at DW's character. I kept thinking "yep, typical A, no consequences for his actions and everyone continues to protect and cover for him" - LOL.

I have yet to watch a movie with Denzel Washington in it that I didn't absolutely love. He is an outstanding actor.

OT - The Book of Eli is excellent.

The Book of Eli (2010) - IMDb

jacrazz

I watched it with my A but it was during the time when I had no clue about the extent of his addiction....what an awesome movie! Looking back, I wonder what he was thinking the whole time while watching this movie. If you read the thread about this movie in the Alcoholism section, you will see that quite a few A's didnt care for the movie. They said it glorified Alcoholism and some called Denzel a rockstar, to be able to do that.......Interesting, no?

Florence

Ugh, yeah. I watched it and cried and nodded through the whole thing. It was an extreme situation, but accurate in the details of addiction itself.

The end was a mixed bag for me. I always wanted the big conversion moment with my STBXAH, which was a terrible expectation on my part. The degree of catharsis that the character displays in the finale is a fantasy. And a drunk come to Jesus moment is rarely a real come to Jesus moment.

Other than that? Great movie. DW was fantastic.

NWGRITS

Denzel is an excellent actor, and that movie is so incredibly well done. Unfortunately, after my decade+ in the hospitality industry, I can say with scary certainty that many, MANY airline pilots are like the main character in the movie. Even the ones who aren't raging alcoholics are often known to get sh*tfaced into the wee hours of the morning, then they get three hours of sleep and fly a plane. It's a big part of the reason why I've curbed my travel over the years. Not every pilot drinks like that, of course, but I've seen far more who do than who don't. :-/

firebolt

We watched it. I was almost in tears through the whole thing.

ABF only said 1 thing about the movie - "John Goodman is hilarious."

FireSprite

I was really surprised that RAH sat through the entire thing. I was MORE surprised when (unprompted) he said that it had really struck a nerve for him & that he might have even liked it more than I did.... especially since it is very dramatic & definitely brought me to tears more than once - NOT his kind of flick, at all, under normal circumstances. Never would have anticipated that reaction from him.

LadyinBC

Firespirite, I have this movie currently on Netflix, but just can't seem to being myself to watch it! Have heard lots on this movie so I might try to watch it. Some movies I can watch and some I can't.

Stung

Oh man, I watched that a few months ago with AH before I knew he was drinking again. Thinking back on it now sure is eye opening and sad.

PippiLngstockng

I watched it with DS16 last month, finally.

I love Denzel.

The movie, however, is all about him, him, him. What about his ex-wife and child (who plays a role similar to my DS16). We will never know.

Everybody, including us here, gets so wrapped up in the charming alcoholic. They are the stars in our movies.

I am sick of alcoholics. My xah thinks he's so interesting and he loves being the center of the drama, everyone worried about him, fascinated, riveted. Blah.

Next time a movie about US would be nice.

Thank you for listening to this evening's rant

Taking5

Was this recently? One of my best friends is a retired pilot (American Airlines) and he would never drink 24 hours before a flight because he said they got tested (breathalyzer) on a regular basis. And THAT was 12 years ago.

NWGRITS

Within the past few years, yes. Both commercial and private pilots.

DenverKitty

I am actually a flight attendant for a US regional airline. We have an "8-hour rule", meaning no flight crew member is allowed to consume alcohol 8 hours prior to arriving at the airport. Many. many a night I have gone out to dinner/drinks with my crew and not once have I seen even one person break this rule. Most of us love our jobs way too much to risk it, as breathalyzer tests are random and frequent.

wolfpackfan45

We watched this movie when it was in the theater with my recovering A son. He was only about 2 months sober.It really struck home for him. He was quiet for hours after the movie and when we asked what was up he said that it had really hit him hard. The mini bar scene really got to me too. Wow.

readerbaby71

I just watched this movie tonight. Powerful. Denzel was amazing.

HopefulinFLA

Excellent movie! Denzel's portrayal of an A was so intense and familiar. It actually made me really uncomfortable.

iamthird

I started calling separated AH "Whip" after watching this movie, lol! He didnt understand until he watched it independently. He told me that the minibar scene was what he goes through regularly...very gripping.

readerbaby71

I posted about the movie on Facebook last night and one of my friends who is an alcoholic replied, "great acting!" I wonder what she was thinking when she watched it. She's a great person but I have to keep her at arm's length. I really hope she stops drinking someday soon.

involved

My RABF and I warched together when it first came to dvd...he called a longtime RAFriend of his and relayed that it was a very good movie.

We have also watched "When a man loves a woman" together...he was a little more uncomfortable with this movie...