Review of The Lost Weekend (1945) by Frank B — 01 Jan 2010

Its fatal flaw is not that the ending feels unrealistic, but that it is inadequately supported; we expect something deeper, more genuine -- whether happy or tragic -- less Hollywood than it finally gives us. The ending is even more disappointing, superficial, and hollow because of the relative depth that preceded it. It feels like a hastily discarded opportunity.

Though probably the best performance of Milland's career, and deserving enough of the Oscar win, there are better performances of personal despair (e.g. Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life) and enough lapses of datedness that keep it from being truly timeless.

The bulk of the film lives up to the reputation of -- for its time -- the boldness and dangerousness in dealing with a social problem, but the ending neutralizes it all back to timid safety.