The strength of this film is that you like the people, despite their enabling and their weakness. This is one of the most realistic portrayals of this disease I've ever seen and while the movie made me crawl, it was more than effective. Nick Cage's character recognizes all that he is. He has come to terms with his self-destructiveness and warns people to stay out of his life. He has flags up everywhere. His counterpart makes the mistake of falling in love with him. She goes through the hell that every person who has a significant relationship with an alcoholic goes through. Her life is no bed of roses and so she embraces his love and companionship, but like the proverbial snake, he is still a snake: it is his nature. The acting here is superb-- the characters so real we have trouble watching them. They move through the "normal" world. She grows to believe that if she sticks with him, he will come around. She can't overcome the puzzle of the control that the booze has on him. To her, if she is that important to him, he will change. There's the rub. See this movie but be prepared for what it is about.
Review of Leaving Las Vegas
