Press Release Warner Archive Collection Press Release: Clean and Sober (1988) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

COMING TO BLU-RAY FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION ON APRIL 29th!
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CLEAN AND SOBER (1988)

RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes
COLOR
BD-50
RATED R

Aspect Ratio 16x9 1.85:1
Audio DTS HD-MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: ENGLISH SDH
Contains the Original Theatrical Trailer
Cast: Michael Keaton, Kathy Baker, Morgan Freeman
Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron

When the comic star of Night Shift and Beetlejuice tackled his first dramatic role, the result was one of Michael Keaton’s best performances ever, earning the National Society of Film Critics Best Actor Award*. Keaton plays real-estate broker Darryl Pointer whose cocaine habit consumes him until he enters a local detox program promising direction and privacy. It also guarantees one thing more: the toughest battle of his life. Powerfully directed by Glenn Gordon Caron and boasting other great performances from Kathy Baker, Morgan Freeman and M. Emmet Walsh, Clean and Sober is a hard-hitting study of beating personal demons…one day at a time.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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[Kilgore]

What a massively underrated movie this is.

 

[Robin9]

What a massively underrated movie this is.

I haven't seen it but I'm a big fan of Morgan Freeman so I might buy this disc.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I haven' seen it but I'm a big fan of Morgan Freeman so I might buy this disc.

Keaton, M. Emmett Walsh and Kathy Baker are tremendous in this. Freeman is his usual excellent self but has a small part as a guy that is a counselor at a rehab facility. The speech Walsh gives about getting sober is basically worth the price of admission alone. This was a beautifully written and acted film and because of that, absolutely nails the subject matter. I love Walsh in this though, during this period of time he basically stole every scene he was in, in every movie he was in. He was just operating at a level that was jaw dropping.

My point being, sure you get a good Freeman performance here as a guy that just sees right through the Keaton character, but what really made this film amazing at the time was seeing Keaton do a serious dramatic role and he is tremendous in it, Walsh just putting on a clinic, and Baker giving a heartbreaking performance.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

I'm in recovery and I watch this film once every year. Trust me when I say that Keaton nails it in this film. He has a one-sided phone call scene with his parents that should have, by itself, garnered him an Oscar nomination. The Academy didn't pay attention, though, probably because up until this point he was almost solely known for his comedy work. When I reached 10 years of sobriety I messaged director Glenn Gordon Caron on social media to tell him what the film meant to me and got to chat with him privately a bit about it. (Great, thoughtful guy, BTW.)

Really looking forward to the disc because the transfer that's been available up until now has been below sub-par. Literally anything will be an upgrade, picture-wise.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

What a massively underrated movie this is.

So underrated. Unlike a film such as 28 Days, for example, which treats recovery like an 80s sitcom, Clean and Sober truly understands the bleak struggle (and yes, occasionally the dark humor) of addiction. And don't get me started on Kathy Baker. Such a stellar, heartbreaking, grounded performance in a role that clearly demonstrates why the term "functioning addict/alcoholic" is an oxymoron. I could go on and on about how much I love this film.

 

[Mark Bendiksen]

Keaton, M. Emmett Walsh and Kathy Baker are tremendous in this. Freeman is his usual excellent self but has a small part as a guy that is a counselor at a rehab facility. The speech Walsh gives about getting sober is basically worth the price of admission alone. This was a beautifully written and acted film and because of that, absolutely nails the subject matter. I love Walsh in this though, during this period of time he basically stole every scene he was in, in every movie he was in. He was just operating at a level that was jaw dropping.

My point being, sure you get a good Freeman performance here as a guy that just sees right through the Keaton character, but what really made this film amazing at the time was seeing Keaton do a serious dramatic role and he is tremendous in it, Walsh just putting on a clinic, and Baker giving a heartbreaking performance.

I heard an interview with M. Emmett Walsh where he mentioned he had a family member (father, maybe?) who suffered from alcoholism and that Clean and Sober was a deeply personal film for him. As someone who occasionally sponsors others myself, it's a blessing to see someone portray an AA sponsor accurately. He's compassionate but not indulgent and he fully realizes that Keaton may or may not ultimately make it. Walsh's character realizes he has no control over Keaton but is willing to do anything and everything to give him the tools to staying sober....if he's willing to pick them up. It's one of the great, largely-unrecognized supporting performances of the 1980s.

 

[Kilgore]

I'm reminded of Roger Ebert's Stanton-Walsh rule: "No movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad." I'd agree.

​

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I'm in recovery and I watch this film once every year. Trust me when I say that Keaton nails it in this film. He has a one-sided phone call scene with his parents that should have, by itself, garnered him an Oscar nomination. The Academy didn't pay attention, though, probably because up until this point he was almost solely known for his comedy work. When I reached 10 years of sobriety I messaged director Glenn Gordon Caron on social media to tell him what the film meant to me and got to chat with him privately a bit about it. (Great, thoughtful guy, BTW.)

Really looking forward to the disc because the transfer that's been available up until now has been below sub-par. Literally anything will be an upgrade, picture-wise.

Yes, this is one of those pictures that make me believe casting is one of the great arts when it comes to filmmaking. Tarkovsky talks about editing, which is huge, but sometimes when you get the right people in the right parts...wow. This is an actor's movie, they really are given roles here where they shine. I don't think Baker was ever a big star, but in some ways, this role justifies her becoming an actor. She is great here. I do think it was a surprise to those that saw this that Keaton absolutely killed it in a dramatic part, probably thinking of him as a comedian. This was the role where he really took the gloves off. I think people wanted him to be funny.

I grew up around a lot of people that were alcoholics and addicts. Several are now dead. A few I am still dealing with. Yes, although condensed, this plays like these people that made this really understood. The hard part, the loneliness, the despair, the helplessness, the desire to fool others you are clean, or that you don't need help. I've not seen it in a long while. I do have the DVD but it has been boxed up for some time. I have this disc coming and look forward to seeing it again.

Nice to hear about your conversation with Mr. Caron. To make a film like this, I feel like he would have to be a thoughtful guy. Thanks, Mark.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]