Plot: What’s it about?
One day at a time.
Addiction. It’s a strange thing. And though the masses will most always associate it with drugs or alcohol, it can be so much more. Video games, exercise, work, running a movie review site (OK, maybe not that) but something, anything can be addictive. Back in the late 80’s, Michael Keaton was known mainly for his comedic roles. Films like Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously and Beetlejuice were some of his better turns as an actor, but with Clean and Sober it showed a different side of the versatile performer. In fact, producer Jon Peters was so impressed with his performance in this film, it’s what got Keaton cast as Batman the next year. Films like this aren’t exactly dime a dozen, but we’ve seen them before with Requiem for a Dream, 28 Days or Flight (my personal favorite of them all). It’s a hard task for a comedic actor to take on this type of role. How’d Keaton do?
Daryl Poynter (Michael Keaton) is a great realtor living in Philadelphia. He’s taken a large sum out of his firm’s escrow account as an “investment” and it’s not performing as he expected. When he meets a woman at a mall, takes her home for a little “fun” (which includes sex and drugs), he awakens to find her dead in bed. Not volunteering any information to the authorities, he decides the best course of action is to check himself into rehab where he’ll retain his anonymity and keep out of the crosshairs of his employer and the police. While there he meets Craig (Morgan Freeman), a recovering addict himself, who’s heard every line in the book. And while Daryl tries to play it cool, he ends up with a sponsor (M. Emmett Walsh) who may or may not be his guardian angel. There are a few other bumps in the road for Daryl, but he starts to figure out that maybe it’s not everyone else who’s the problem – rather…it’s him.
Movies about addiction are a mixed bag (pardon the pun). It’s hard for a comedic actor to try and go the opposite direction without trying to oversell the role. But we all know Keaton to be a competent actor and he carries out his role with just the right amount of compassion to make it believable. The film, nearly four decades old, has a lot of things right when it comes to addiction. Granted in today’s world where alcohol is everywhere, cannabis is legal in most states and so forth, it’s hard to convey the fact that many people don’t struggle with addiction. Many do. As good as Keaton’s performance is, it’s the supporting cast of Kathy Baker, Tate Donovan and Morgan Freeman who help bring the whole thing together. It’s a brutally realistic film that doesn’t have an “everything’s going to be OK” ending to it. Not to ruin the message for everyone, but as I prefaced this review with – addiction is a strange thing.
Video: How’s it look?
I have no idea how Warner Archive comes up with the titles they choose to release and, I suppose, it’s of no consequence. I last saw this movie when it came to home video on VHS back in the late 80’s (I have no idea why I was watching a movie about addiction then either, I think I just saw a Michael Keaton movie in the video store). Nevertheless, we get a new 1.85:1 AVC HD image and, to the best of my recollection, it’s a good-looking print. Yes, there’s a fine layer of grain that we might expect with a film of this era, but by and large the detail has been enhanced, the colors bumped up a bit (though it’s a very muted color palette) and we find stark contrast and black levels. On the whole, it’s far and away the best the movie has ever looked.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Even if this soundtrack was equipped with Dolby Atmos, it’d still be a bit subdued. Movies like this aren’t really engineered to blow the roof off the place and that’s a good thing as the DTS HD Master Audio sound mix doesn’t do that. This is a dialogue-driven film if there ever was one and even in the days before Morgan Freeman was known as “the narrator”, it’s his deep, soothing voice that I loved to listen to. The front-heavy mix delivers on all accounts, but again – this isn’t one that’s made the challenge the extremes of your home theater system.
The Bottom Line
Gripping and poignant, Clean and Sober gave Michael Keaton a platform to showcase his skills as a dramatic actor. And it paid off. There are plenty of films about addiction out there, but this remains one of the more realistic. Warner Archives gives us a lovely new transfer, a solid soundtrack and though the extras are a bit scant (only a theatrical trailer), it’s a good overall offering.
