If this movie didn't hit home for some people, perhaps they've never grown up with an addict for a parent. While that's fortunate for them - for the rest of us who have - we can find some comfort in this movie, which somehow adds humor to an often painful experience.
As I watched the movie, I was also convinced Melissa Leo must have interviewed my own mother for research. She was incredibly spot on - down to the hippie, disheveled clothing and hair, the premature strain of aging due to substance abuse, and all the associated wackiness. Despite it all, Melissa's character loved her children and wanted the best for them - her biggest challenge was learning how to keep it together. Even the family relationships with her perfect suburbanite sister, Jesse's character, and the pre-teen sister mimicked my own.
I know people viewing my own life and that of my family can sometimes be horrified; I imagine this film produced the same effect for those who grew up with a more cookie-cutter existence. To those, I can understand why the plot and characters didn't thrill - but for me, I can attest this was/is an incredibly realistic view of my own family, right down to the Mother telling her son to watch his own self, because addiction is a "gene." The team who put this together is absolutely brilliant - brilliant because they depicted such a real and tragic situation in a funny, light-hearted way, through the eyes of someone who has been there and can chalk it up to life. I'd take this film any day over some Hollywood blockbuster, glittering up reality.
As I watched the movie, I was also convinced Melissa Leo must have interviewed my own mother for research. She was incredibly spot on - down to the hippie, disheveled clothing and hair, the premature strain of aging due to substance abuse, and all the associated wackiness. Despite it all, Melissa's character loved her children and wanted the best for them - her biggest challenge was learning how to keep it together. Even the family relationships with her perfect suburbanite sister, Jesse's character, and the pre-teen sister mimicked my own.
I know people viewing my own life and that of my family can sometimes be horrified; I imagine this film produced the same effect for those who grew up with a more cookie-cutter existence. To those, I can understand why the plot and characters didn't thrill - but for me, I can attest this was/is an incredibly realistic view of my own family, right down to the Mother telling her son to watch his own self, because addiction is a "gene." The team who put this together is absolutely brilliant - brilliant because they depicted such a real and tragic situation in a funny, light-hearted way, through the eyes of someone who has been there and can chalk it up to life. I'd take this film any day over some Hollywood blockbuster, glittering up reality.