Clean and Sober

"Thirty remarkable days in the life of an ordinary man."

1988 2h 4m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 96

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hotshot real estate salesman Daryl has a bad cocaine habit. After embezzling his company's money, he wakes up next to a girl who overdosed. To hide from the police, he checks into a rehabilitation program guaranteeing anonymity. Under the mentorship of counselor Craig, Daryl accepts that he has a substance abuse problem. As he falls in love with fellow patient Charlie, Daryl begins committing to a newly sober life.

“Thirty remarkable days in the life of an ordinary man.”

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Cast

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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Glenn Gordon Caron
Writers: Tod Carroll
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, shot by Jan Kiesser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gabriel Yared. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Chew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Thirty remarkable days in the life of an ordinary man.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094884 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Glenn Gordon Caron directs. Jan Kiesser behind the camera. Gabriel Yared scores. Richard Chew cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron, shot by Jan Kiesser. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Gabriel Yared. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Richard Chew shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Michael Keaton and Kathy Baker and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Thirty remarkable days in the life of an ordinary man.".
7IMDB entry: tt0094884 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jan Kiesser
Original score: Gabriel Yared
Editing: Richard Chew
Production design: Joel Schiller
Costume design: Robert Turturice
Stunt coordinator: Chris Howell
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $8,674,093
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Clean and Sober (1988)

Also by

Glenn Gordon Caron

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Dave2017-02-08
Michael Keaton tries his hand in a dramatic portrayal of an alcoholic, drug addicted stock broker who finds refuge in a treatment program - but not for it's intended purpose. He slowly begins to realize that be may be there for a reason, but the arrogant nature of his personality is always at conflict. As someone with long term sobriety, I always tell people that this is close to the real thing that Hollywood has to offer. Nobody is a model citizen in this world, most are flawed, lonely, angry characters, however there is some redemption in the masses. Strong supporting roles including M. Emmet Walsh, Kathy Bates and a young Morgan Freeman. Worth a look if you can find it.
Peter McGinn2020-08-25
★ 9/10
Michael Keaton puts in a great dramatic performance in this movie, at a time when his star was definitely rising. This movie was released the same year as Beetlejuice, and the year before Batman. Kathy Bates also excels as Charlie. Keaton’s Money manager character Daryl has gamed the system to steal client funds, and even as his drug addiction careens towards bottom, he uses a private rehab center as a shield against being found by the authorities. As he becomes involved with Bates’ character Charlie, who he meets while in rehab, he begins to take his sobriety seriously, perhaps more so than his new girlfriend does herself. There are touches of humor and Daryl’s charm to break up the more serious moments. At one point Daryl encourages her to use a script to talk to her previous boyfriend on the phone. She gives it a try, she shows Daryl the sheet and repeats the ugly profane response she receives, telling him she doesn’t see that on there as a possible response. The movie builds up to a short speech by Daryl that is heartfelt and powerful. The details are brutal at time, and probably therefore accurate, and well worth watching. It carries a message with it, but isn’t merely a message movie. Back when it came out and moved to HBO and DVD, I watched it multiple times. It might be time to watch it again.

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