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IMDbPro

Clean and Sober

  • 19881988
  • RR
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
Trailer
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
99+ Photos
Drama
A hustling drug addict checks himself into rehabilitation to escape trouble with the law and realizes that it's exactly what he needs.A hustling drug addict checks himself into rehabilitation to escape trouble with the law and realizes that it's exactly what he needs.A hustling drug addict checks himself into rehabilitation to escape trouble with the law and realizes that it's exactly what he needs.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
    • Glenn Gordon Caron
    • Tod Carroll
  • Stars
    • Michael Keaton
    • Kathy Baker
    • Morgan Freeman
    • Glenn Gordon Caron
    • Tod Carroll
  • Stars
    • Michael Keaton
    • Kathy Baker
    • Morgan Freeman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Clean And Sober
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch Clean And Sober

    Photos175

    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)
    Michael Keaton in Clean and Sober (1988)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Michael Keaton
    Michael Keaton
    • Daryl Poynter
    Kathy Baker
    Kathy Baker
    • Charlie Standers
    Morgan Freeman
    Morgan Freeman
    • Craig
    Tate Donovan
    Tate Donovan
    • Donald Towle
    Henry Judd Baker
    Henry Judd Baker
    • Xavier
    Claudia Christian
    Claudia Christian
    • Iris
    J. David Krassner
    • Tiller
    Dakin Matthews
    Dakin Matthews
    • Bob
    Mary Catherine Martin
    • Cheryl Ann
    Patricia Quinn
    Patricia Quinn
    • June
    • (as Pat Quinn)
    Terri Hanauer
    Terri Hanauer
    • Admissions Counsellor
    David A. Kimball
    David A. Kimball
    • Doctor
    Veronica Redd
    Veronica Redd
    • Head Nurse - Detox
    Sharie Doolittle
    • Nurse
    Sharon Medearis
    • Nurse
    Nick Savage
    • Gary 'Ike Turner'
    Sandra Foster
    • Xavier's Girlfriend
    M. Emmet Walsh
    M. Emmet Walsh
    • Richard Dirks
      • Glenn Gordon Caron
      • Tod Carroll
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      After seeing an early screening of the film, Jon Peters was inspired to cast Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne (Batman) in Batman (1989).
    • 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.
    • 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Tucker: The Man and His Dream/Vibes/Cocktail/Clean and Sober/Bagdad Cafe (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Tighten Up
      Written by Billy Buttier and Archie Bell

      Performed by Archie Bell & The Drells (as Archie Bell and The Drells)

      Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.

      By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

    User reviews40

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Oscar Worthy Performance by Michael Keaton
    One of the toughest things about drug and alcohol addiction is owning up to the fact of that addiction; being able to say, `I'm an addict.' Because until that happens, the addiction will continue and the prospect of getting any help will lessen with each passing day. And the important thing is getting that help before it's too late, regardless of how it comes about. It's being able to recognize the opportunity and having the gumption to take advantage of it, which is what happens to a young man on the brink of disaster in `Clean and Sober,' directed by Glenn Gordon Caron. Michael Keaton stars as Daryl Poynter, a high power real estate broker with a couple of problems: He's appropriated some $90,000 from an escrow account to play the stock market (which quickly took a nose-dive on him, leaving him about $52,000 short), but that's not even his biggest problem; his biggest problem is that he's a cocaine addict, as well as an alcoholic-- and he doesn't even know it. All he knows is that his life is in turmoil and he can't fathom why. And when a girl picks up at a mall ODs in his bed one morning, his life really begins to fall apart. He needs some time to sort things out and he needs to get away-- to hide for awhile-- and he comes up with a brilliant idea; he'll hide out in a rehab center where they guarantee anonymity and confidentiality.

    He checks in, and it works. Nobody knows where he is, and the rules of the house prevent him from having any contact with the outside world. But Daryl-- a born hustler-- has hustled himself into a corner this time. Because he can't stay in if he doesn't play the game, which precipitates taking a long, hard look at himself. So for the first time in his life he gets caught up in his own scam; and it just may be his salvation. But before he can come back, he's going to have to hit rock bottom first, which he does-- in a pivotal scene involving a phone call to his mother. And it's only when he's faced with total collapse that he finally begins to look inward, and to take stock of how he measures up against the others he meets at the facility; when he starts to realize that he's not the only person on the planet.

    Working from a tightly written screenplay by Tod Carroll, director Caron delivers a hard-hitting film that takes an uncompromising look at the effects of addiction, without relying or dwelling upon the physical aspects of the problem to illustrate the depths of despair to which it can lead. To be sure, Daryl looks strung out; but that aside, the story relentlessly chronicles how swiftly drugs and alcohol can wreck a life in all regards. It's a powerful statement, unflinchingly delivered in a concise and straightforward manner. Caron approaches the subject head-on, avoiding any melodramatics while keeping it grounded in reality, which enhances the impact of the drama as it plays out. And it clearly demonstrates how far-reaching the problem is, in that it touches so many others-- friends and family-- any and all who come into contact with Daryl. It gives a personal perspective on the issue that is even more pronounced, in fact, than that of Sandra Bullock's `28 Days' or the more recent `Blow,' and is more emotionally involving as well, on the level of Steven Soderbergh's affecting drama, `Traffic.' This is an Oscar-worthy film on any number of levels, but 1988 was the year of `Rain Man,' and the Academy was clearly looking in another direction, leaving this film without even a nomination. And it's a shame.

    As Daryl, Michael Keaton gives a performance that had Oscar written all over it; that he failed to receive even a nomination for his work here is a travesty, as this is without question the best he's ever done and on a par with any of the best of that year, including Hoffman's Oscar-winner. Whenever an actor can disappear within a character so completely-- as Keaton does here-- it speaks volumes about the performance and the believability of that character; and there's no sign of Keaton when Daryl is on screen. Keaton has a very definitive persona, but as you watch Daryl, there's not so much as a fleeting glimpse of Billy Blaze in `Night Shift,' Carter Hayes in `Pacific Heights,' Jack in `Mr. Mom,' or even `Beetlejuice' or `Batman.' With Daryl, Keaton has created a unique character, so real and presented with such intensity, that even a passing thought that this is an actor playing a role is impossible. And that's a performance that deserves much more than a passing nod of acknowledgement.

    Also turning in an extremely affecting performance is Kathy Baker, as Charlie Standers, a fellow addict Daryl meets in rehab. Baker has an alluring quality that works perfectly for the blue-collar character of Charlie, whose vulnerability quickly gains the sympathy of the audience and helps to draw you into the story emotionally. There's an obvious softness beneath Charlie's rough-hewn exterior that is becoming, a down-to-earth aspect of the character that Baker conveys quite nicely. This is a very real person she puts up on the screen, and it's easy to believe that she operates a crane in a steel mill, because there's nothing in the way Charlie is presented that is false or pretentious. It's a solid performance, and one of the strengths of the film.

    The supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, who gives an understated, impressive performance as Craig, Daryl's counselor; Claudia Christian (Iris); M. Emmet Walsh (Richard), Tate Donovan (Donald), Brian Benben (Martin) and Henry Judd Baker (Xavier). A realistic examination of a problem that affects virtually everyone either directly or indirectly, `Clean and Sober' is a sobering film that, while at times is emotionally draining, is nevertheless a worthwhile and entirely satisfying experience. 10/10.
    helpful•45
    4
    • jhclues
    • Dec 14, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • August 10, 1988 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Darby Borough, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Imagine Films Entertainment
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 4 minutes

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