# Haven't I seen this movie before? \[Thoughts on To Leslie\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-i-seen-this-movie-before-thoughts-on-to-leslie/992383>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** netflix, movies\
**Created:** [October 31, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-i-seen-this-movie-before-thoughts-on-to-leslie/992383 "2023-10-31T17:19:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-i-seen-this-movie-before-thoughts-on-to-leslie/992383/1 "2023-10-31T17:19:56Z")

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_[To Leslie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Leslie)_ is a low-budget, Oscar nominated (best actress), indie film that’s currently streaming on Netflix. It’s a semi-autobiographical film about a single mother dealing with alcoholism, featuring an eclectic cast of character actors, decent production values, with a RT score of 93% (currently).

It’s a fine movie. Good, even. It’s well-written, well-made, and well-acted. While the story was very personal for the screenwriter, part of me wonders if movies like this get made in order to give various people experience.

That said, the whole movie felt like a trope. I’m don’t mean that in a pejorative way, but it did affect my enjoyment. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of indie films about addiction, each one of which would have been incredibly impactful if it were the first one I’d seen, but after a while they just feel like they’re going through the motions. And that got me thinking… what was the actual _first_ low-budget movie about an addict’s ups and downs?

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**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/havent-i-seen-this-movie-before-thoughts-on-to-leslie/992383/2 "2023-10-31T17:35:26Z")

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> [@Earliest Movies About Drug Addiction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-movies-about-drug-addiction/850829):
>
> Or taboo in general… The earlier, the better, as they seem to handle the subject matter better, especially with quality writing, instead of being crass… Nothing after the 1970s. From any country. For some reason, they just seem to be better. Nothing silly, but something mature. I’m watching “Pale Flower” and loving it, and there’s a mention of a guy who is a “dope addict”… I do remember liking “The Man With The Golden Arm”, too. Not the exploitation stuff…

Or browse: [List of drug films - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drug_films)