Dhaval Vyas The title of the movie pretty much sums up it subject matter. At the same time, 'Drunks' is shown from the perspective of those persons who are trying to save themselves from alcoholism. It shows them talking about their problems and lives through an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Most of the film takes place in one night, and centers around one main character - Jim (Richard Lewis). His character is just about the only one we get to know deeply. In an act of desperate rebellion, he walks out of the AA meeting in order to get a drink (or maybe two, three, or four?).The film juxtaposes Jim's desperate night out from one liquor store and bar to the next with the other reforming alcoholics talking during their meeting. As the night progresses, Richard Lewis gets more and more drunk, wasted, and out of control. He also begins to experiment with other drugs. Overall, this is not a bad film - it is mostly a character study. The stories the alcoholics have to tell are funny, tragic, and moving. Those who enjoy dialog movies will likely enjoy this film. Faye Dunaway also plays a small role in it.I really liked the ending of the movie. It goes to show how so many alcoholics don't succeed in becoming sober and they are trapped in an endless and dangerous cycle. This cycle perhaps has no way out.

jorgedanieljdn I rented this and was very surprised by how good it was. The writing was so strong and the actors took those words and soared. There is not one false note. It felt like a CASSAVETTES film. Honesty on screen is what I look for in films.This film felt like real life. Real time. I could relate to these characters. Feel their pain.Their stories were compelling. I couldn't take my eyes of the screenMy favorite performances were Lisa Gay Hamilton and the late Howard Rollins.They moved me to tears. I hope this movie gets to be seen by others who are struggling with addiction. The message finally got to me and it is interesting that it came to me in the guise of a movie. I am now going out and buying the DVD and the play that the film is based on.Thank you to the film makers.

paukenmeister I agree with several posters who say that people in recovery should watch this film. I also believe that every treatment facility should show this to the patients/clients based on the raw, gritty and realistic portrayals of addiction and addicts. However, I would be careful showing this movie in a substance abuse program at a men's prison due to the brief depiction of nude breasts. Some of the audience members *may* be distracted by the flash of flesh and forget the true message/intention of the movie. I would also not recommend this film if you're offended by "F-bombs". **SPOILER ALERT - sorta** There's a scene where Jim (Richard Lewis) is "sharing his grief" with a complete stranger at a bar - a stranger who's trying to be polite but wants to escape. Anyway, as I watched this scene with the "Closed-Captioning" activated, I noticed that each new caption on the screen had "f**k" (or a variation thereof) displaying. **END MILD SPOILER ALERT** Here's my synopsis of the film. **SPOILER ALERT #2** Jim, a recovering alcoholic/heroin addict is getting a room in a church ready for an AA meeting. His sponsor (George Martin) asks him to speak since the original speaker couldn't make it. Jim's reluctant to speak, but his sponsor presses him on. As Jim gives a half-hearted lead, we learn that he got sober simply to keep his wife happy. Since his wife has passed away, we can see that Jim's motivation to stay sober has gone as well. We see this as Jim wanders New York, getting wasted on booze. He's so desperate for companionship that he seeks a hooker - who only wants heroin. Jim goes to a park, buys heroin and steals a syringe from another junkie passed out in the park. Jim staggers back to his old bar and attempts to cook the heroin when he's thrown out. The film ends with a thoroughly wasted Jim at an AA meeting admitting that at the end of the day he'll have a full day of sobriety. I feel as though the film is trying to say that even if a recovering person relapses, they can always try their recovery again. **END SPOILER ALERT #2** "F-bombs" and nudity aside, I highly recommend this film to people in recovery and substance abuse counselors as well.

K8-2 An inside peek at the goings-on of an unusually attractive Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Richard Lewis's character exists to provide a moral center for the film as it examines his desperate efforts to stay sober. The various members of the AA group provide different glimpses at what contributes to alcoholism and demonstrate that there is no one profile for what constitutes a "drunk."There are very nice performances in this film, particularly those of a pre-Ally McBeal Calista Flockhart and Parker Posey. The film's scene stealer and the most memorable drunk of all, however, is monologuist Spalding Grey, doing a hilarious turn as a church choir member who shows up at the wrong church. In the midst of explaining his blunder to the group he rhapsodizes brilliantly on the importance of Guinness in his life and discovers quietly that gee, maybe he too has a drinking problem.Overall the individual performances divert attention from the main storyline and provide more of a center for the film than Lewis, whose story is ultimately uninteresting. But check it out for Spalding Grey, who is probably the most natural actor in the film and a true pleasure to watch.