Clean and Sober
| Clean and Sober | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Glenn Gordon Caron |
| Written by | Tod Carroll |
| Produced by | Ron Howard Jay Daniel |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jan Kiesser |
| Edited by | Richard Chew |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million[citation needed] |
| Box office | $8,674,093[1] |
Clean and Sober is a 1988 American drama film directed by Glenn Gordon Caron and starring Michael Keaton as a real estate agent struggling with a substance abuse problem. This film was Keaton's first dramatic departure from comedies. The supporting cast includes Kathy Baker, M. Emmet Walsh, Morgan Freeman, Luca Bercovici and Tate Donovan.
Ron Howard, who previously directed Keaton in the comedies Night Shift (1982) and Gung Ho (1986), served as co-producer.
Plot
Daryl Poynter is a successful but self-destructive
At a
The film ends with a distorted shot of cars taking off into the night.
Cast
- Michael Keaton as Daryl Poynter
- Kathy Baker as Charlie Standers
- Morgan Freeman as Craig
- M. Emmet Walsh as Richard Dirks
- Luca Bercovici as Lenny
- Tate Donovan as Donald
- Claudia Christian as Iris
- Brian Benben as Martin
- Henry Judd Baker as Xavier
- J. David Krassner as Tiller
- Dakin Matthews as Bob
- Ben Piazza as Kramer
- Rachel Ryan as Karen Peluso
Reception
Clean and Sober received generally favorable reviews at the time. Roger Ebert praised the "superb supporting performances" and noted, "Although the subject matter of this film is commonplace in our society...the actual process of surrender and recovery is hardly ever the subject of films, maybe because it seems too depressing."[2] Variety wondered if the film was "perhaps too grim."[3]
In the Los Angeles Times, Sheila Benson wrote:
[The film's] characters, particularly Keaton’s self-destructive Daryl and Kathy Baker’s seductive, wavering fellow addict Charlie, are daringly and consummately played. With anyone as scuzzy as Daryl--and to think of a character his equal you probably have to go back to Sweet Smell of Success--part of the fascination comes from seeing how deep the fault line runs. Caron and Carroll have managed the almost impossible; there is truly no reading Daryl until the last second of the last scene.[4]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 53% approval rating based on reviews from 15 critics, with an average score of 5.4/10.[5] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[6]
Then-
Awards
Michael Keaton won the 1988 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor for his performances in both Clean and Sober and Beetlejuice.
References
- ^ "Clean and Sober (1988) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (August 10, 1988). "Clean and Sober". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022 – via RogerEbert.com.
- ^ "Clean and Sober". Variety. December 31, 1987. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Benson, Sheila (August 10, 1988). "MOVIE REVIEW : Clean and Sober - Sharp and True". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Clean and Sober (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
- ^ "CLEAN AND SOBER (1988) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
- ^ "Films Viewed by President and Mrs. Reagan | Ronald Reagan".
External links
- Clean and Sober at IMDb
- Clean and Sober at AllMovie
- Clean and Sober at Box Office Mojo
