Clean and Sober (1988)

A hustling drug addict checks himself into rehab to escape trouble with the law and realizes that it's exactly what he needs.

Director:

Glenn Gordon Caron

Writer:

Tod Carroll

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Kathy Baker, Morgan Freeman

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Daryl Poynter
Kathy Baker	...	Charlie Standers
Morgan Freeman	...	Craig
Tate Donovan	...	Donald Towle
Henry Judd Baker	...	Xavier
Claudia Christian	...	Iris
J. David Krassner	...	Tiller
Dakin Matthews	...	Bob
Mary Catherine Martin	...	Cheryl Ann
Patricia Quinn	...	June (as Pat Quinn)
Terri Hanauer	...	Admissions Counsellor
David A. Kimball	...	Doctor
Veronica Redd	...	Head Nurse - Detox
Sharie Doolittle	...	Nurse
Sharon Medearis	...	Nurse

Storyline

Michael Keaton plays Daryl Poynter, a hot shot real estate agent who just happens to have a cocaine and drinking problem. One morning, he wakes up to find a dead woman in his bed (someone he had been partying with the night before) from a cocaine overdose. He also just happens to receive a phone call from his employers telling him a huge sum of money is missing from one of his accounts. Panicking, Daryl decides to check into a drug rehab to hide from the law, where he meets tough cookie Morgan Freeman. A recovering addict himself, he now works as a drug counselor, and knows all the tricks Daryl tries to pull. Soon Daryl discovers he just might be in the right place, after all.

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Plot Keywords:

cocaine | drinking | real estate agent | 12 step program | drunkenness | 

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Taglines:

Michael Keaton...in an unexpected film...about thirty remarkable days in the life of an ordinary man.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker have appeared in Tim Burton films, Keaton in Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992) and Dumbo (2019), and Baker in Edward Scissorhands (1990).

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Goofs

The movie accurately references many of the twelve steps alcoholics use to work toward sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. However, before their first meeting, Daryl's sponsor instructs him to complete Step Four by making a fearless, searching personal moral inventory. No AA sponsor would instruct a new member to begin the recovery program with Step Four, nor with any other step than Step One.

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Quotes

Richard: I woke up one morning, and when I looked in the mirror I noticed my nose was bent over entirely onto one side of my face. So, I got a hammer, and started banging my nose back to a right angle with my face. Suddenly, I looked at myself in the mirror, hammer in hand, blood streaming down my chin, and I realized my life was no longer manageable.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Talk Radio/Hellbound: Hellraiser II/The Accidental Tourist/The Boost/Pelle the Conqueror (1988)

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Soundtracks

If You Wanna Be Happy
Written by Frank Guida, Carmela Guida and Joseph Royster
Performed by Jimmy Soul
Courtesy of Frank Guida - S.P.Q.R. Record Co.

User Reviews

Superb movie, anchored by a powerhouse starring performance...

Michael Keaton turned in the performance of his career in CLEAN AND SOBER, a somber, yet riveting 1988 drama which starred Keaton as Daryl Poynter, a go-getter real estate agent who is in complete denial about a serious problem he has with drugs and alcohol. A serious night of partying goes deadly wrong for Daryl and he finds himself a fugitive from the law and decides to hide out at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center, aware of their rules regarding confidentiality. Daryl resists the program initially, still in denial, but eventually comes to realize that he is really an alcoholic and a drug addict and that he must deal with this realization if he ever wants to look at himself in the mirror again. This movie is gritty and uncompromising in its realistic depiction of drug and alcohol addiction and where the addiction can take you. Daryl is depicted breaking into his office looking for money as well as calling his parents asking them them to apply for a second mortgage on their house so that they can lend him the money. These scenes are frighteningly realistic for those who have dealt with addiction or have a loved one caught in the grips of addiction. Michael Keaton delivers a powerhouse performance, the best of his career, as Daryl, the big shot who sees his world crumbling around him and continues to deny what the root of the problem really is. Morgan Freeman gives his usual solid performance as the head counselor at the rehab center. Kathy Baker, Tate Donavan, and Claudia Christian also offer solid support as fellow rehab clients and M. Emmett Walsh plays Daryl's sponsor, a relationship Daryl accidentally stumbles into. If you have ever had a problem with drugs or alcohol or care about someone who does, CLEAN AND SOBER is an important film to see and ponder. The film doesn't answer all the questions that may come to mind about the disease of addiction, but it clearly shows where denial can take someone suffering from the disease A riveting and powerful film that should not be missed.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Retour à la vie

Filming Locations:

Darby Borough, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,205,628, 14 August 1988

Gross USA:

$8,674,093

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,674,093

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Films Entertainment, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1