I have read a lot of Doper comments about this movie and am wondering if overall it is worth watching??
Depends. Don’t plan on being happy for a couple hours (days) after you see it. Personally, I really enjoyed it. The performances were amazing (Barkin should have won an Oscar), the directing was fresh and new, and you will have every excuse to never do heroine ever in your life.
If you like it or not, I really think it’s a movie everyone should see, regardless of age.
Worth watching? Yes
Worthwhile? Maybe
It’s grim and unsettling, well acted and has excellent production value.
Very depressing.
I’d say it is definitely woth watching. Words like harrowing, disturbing and graphic spring to mind but if you don’t mind content genuinely aimed at adults then you may ultimately find it rewarding.
If you do decide to watch it, try to get the unrated directors version, not the butchered ‘R’ rated release which loses quite a bit of the impact.
Just my opinion, but this is one excellent movie. It ranks high on my list of favorites.
It’s not exactly a happy movie, but the way it was made is excellent. It’s an intense movie, and I’m sure there are some people who just don’t enjoy it, mainly because it’s not “happy” and certain scenes are probably more than some could handle.
The style is different and that may turn others off, but it is a movie about drugs (among other things), and I found that it almost makes you feel as if you’re on the drugs with them.
It’s deep man, real deep.
Just my two cents, I’d say it’s worth trying.
It’s definitely worth seeing, and I think it’s a great film, but if you’ve already seen Pi, some of the direction may seem a bit “been there done that” to you.
A great film. Not everyone’s cup of tea. It is so emotionally draining you’ll feel like you have the flu for a day or so afterward. Fabulous performances all around. Visually different. And so fucking depressing…make sure there are no loaded guns in the house when you watch it.
Watch it. Great acting, pretty realistic, some interesting effects and quite a disturbing theme. It’s a good movie, especially if you’re into Jennifer Connelly-ism.
I couldn’t even finish watching it. I was just extremely depressed to begin with, and by the time I finished half the movie, I wanted to hang myself in the shower.
Brilliant film, though, really. Just don’t watch it when things aren’t going well in the first place.
Yes yes yes, for the soundtrack alone. Ellen Barkin’s degeneration is fascinating and brutal (she was robbed!) and may make you look a little differently at
the next “crazy lady” you see on the street, and ask yourself “Where did she come from?” “How did she get here?”
And who knew there was a real live actor among the Wayans Brothers?
Excellent film. I watched it at home, and alone, one night and had trouble sleeping. I just laid there thinking about choices I had made as a youth. It was one of those “there but for the grace of god go I” kind of moments.
Plus, I kept seeing that old man leering “Ass to ass!” in my mind’s eye.
Not Ellen Barkin, Ellen Burstyn
Very good film. Another recommendation.
Yes, definately worth watching and worthwhile.
I think we should actually replace the ridiculous anti-drug propaganda we feed our teenagers with a screening of this film in High School.
I think it’d be enough to make anyone think twice.
Depends on what kind of a filmwatcher you are. It’s worth watching if you’re interested in films for their direction, cinematography, subtlety of acting, &c.
The message is one we’ve all heard before: Drugs Bad. But the film is incredibly well-made. Instead of the typical anti-drug film, we see the characters start off as normal working stiffs who occasionally “use” recreationally but seem to have somewhat promising futures ahead of them, and then spiral downward through one bad but sympathetic decision after another. Probably the most fully human drug-film I’ve seen.
Oh, and you’ll never look at Jennifer Connelly quite the same way again. Ahem.
The message isn’t just about drugs, it’s about obsession of any kind. That’s what I thought was great about the film. The reason it wasn’t a happy film was because it showed what can happen when someone get’s carried away with something that they think can make them happy, and it showed this in different ways.