Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by John L — 08 Apr 2012

A good, albeit dated, portrayal of alcoholism hampered by a ludicrous ending. While certain parts are inaccurate (you don't get DTs while drunk, etc), addiction is shown in the honest and unsympathetic light it deserves. Birnam lies, cheats, and steals his way from one bottle to the next over a four-day binge.

This film would have earned a fifth star if the ending had fit with the rest of the movie. Throughout the entire film, Birnam is portrayed as an unrepentant alcoholic. He has relapsed numerous times, he has countless hiding places for booze around his brother's apartment, he steals from both his brother and a stranger to pay for his tabs, etc. He even bought a gun to commit suicide, but ended up pawning it for booze money. Why in the world did Director Billy Wilder decide to tack on this silly happy ending? It's out of place, and apparently the only major deviation from Jackson's novel.

A good movie, not a great movie. The Lost Weekend was one of the first films to deal with alcoholism. Instead of confronting the issue, we get a glimpse of how bad it can get before falling into the failed "I can quit whenever I want" mindset.