One morning Daryl Poynter (Michael Keaton) woke up next to a nude motionless body. She wasn't dead, but she was on the brink. The police told him to stay put and that's when he decided to join rehab. He joined, not for his own improvement, but to hide out from the police. "Clean and Sober" is about Daryl's journey towards sobriety when that was the furthest thing from his mind.
The movie goes all the way into what it takes to sober up. It's more than just a montage of detoxing, meetings, and tears. It's about the work the addict has to do and the work those willing to help him/her have to do.
While at the hospital Daryl met Charlene "Charlie" Standers (Kathy Baker). Though Charlie was involved with someone Daryl made it his mission to pull her away from her man. Her boyfriend was no good for her, that's for certain, but the impression is that Daryl's motives weren't all that altruistic. Though he talked about how imperative it was for her to escape that relationship, he wanted her to escape and run to him. If he was sincere and truly cared about her then he wouldn't be concerned about whether or not she ran into his arms, but that she just ran away.
The fact is he was replacing his cocaine addiction with an addiction to Charlie. Some ex-addicts pick up smoking, some eating, some something else entirely--Daryl picked up Charlie. Charlie fell off the wagon and was killed in a car crash. I'm not saying that Daryl caused that, but surely the tension of being pulled in two different directions by two men didn't help her any.
In my book Daryl was selfish as an addict and selfish while he was sober. I also think that Charlie's death made him get more serious about sobriety. I think this movie has appeal, but I think its appeal is greater to those who have struggled with addiction or know someone who has.
The movie goes all the way into what it takes to sober up. It's more than just a montage of detoxing, meetings, and tears. It's about the work the addict has to do and the work those willing to help him/her have to do.
While at the hospital Daryl met Charlene "Charlie" Standers (Kathy Baker). Though Charlie was involved with someone Daryl made it his mission to pull her away from her man. Her boyfriend was no good for her, that's for certain, but the impression is that Daryl's motives weren't all that altruistic. Though he talked about how imperative it was for her to escape that relationship, he wanted her to escape and run to him. If he was sincere and truly cared about her then he wouldn't be concerned about whether or not she ran into his arms, but that she just ran away.
The fact is he was replacing his cocaine addiction with an addiction to Charlie. Some ex-addicts pick up smoking, some eating, some something else entirely--Daryl picked up Charlie. Charlie fell off the wagon and was killed in a car crash. I'm not saying that Daryl caused that, but surely the tension of being pulled in two different directions by two men didn't help her any.
In my book Daryl was selfish as an addict and selfish while he was sober. I also think that Charlie's death made him get more serious about sobriety. I think this movie has appeal, but I think its appeal is greater to those who have struggled with addiction or know someone who has.