Clean and Sober Reviews

This poignant film, directed by Caron, the creator of TV's fleetingly acclaimed "Moonlighting" series, casts Keaton against type as a sleazy cocaine- and alcohol-addicted real estate hotshot who is forced to come to terms with himself. After "borrowing" $92,000 from his Philadelphia company's escrow account and losing it on a stock market gamble, Keaton awakes one morning to find that his one-night stand has OD'd in his bed. He subsequently checks into a 21-day chemical dependency program that promises anonymity--not because he thinks he has a drug problem but in order to avoid the cops. Even as he undergoes detoxification, Keaton tries to obtain some coke over the phone. Freeman, however, the recovering addict who oversees Poynter's group, is wise to every trick. As the treatment progresses, Keaton falls for Baker, a steelworker who is as addicted to her alternately abusive and whimpering boyfriend as she is to cocaine. Keaton receives some much-needed guidance from Walsh, a worldly patient who helps him readjust to the real world. Reminiscent of THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, LOST WEEKEND, and PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK--this "problem" film doesn't offer many surprises. Once again the duplicity, self-deception, and pathetic dependency of the addict is meticulously and painfully drawn. Keaton's recovery is predictable, the sympathetic presence of the counselor who's seen it all and the kindly "guardian angel" is dramatically convenient, and the doomed love between the addicts is heart-wrenching but not unexpected. Nonetheless CLEAN AND SOBER is very moving because its outstanding performances make each moment seem real and important.