Addiction Drama Movies

This cinematic/literary hybrid fuses motifs from Beat writer William S. Burroughs's novel of the same name with elements of the author's biography and plenty of the cerebral alienation and biomorphic special effects fans of creepy cult director David Cronenberg have come to expect. Bill Lee (Peter Weller) wants to write, but he exterminates bugs to pay the bills. His wife, Joan (Judy Davis), becomes addicted to Bill's bug powder dust, and soon he joins her in a world of unorthodox hallucinogens; he visits the kindly yet sinister Dr. Benway (Roy Scheider) and walks away with his first dose of the black meat -- a narcotic made from the flesh of the giant aquatic Brazilian centipede. Soon, monstrous beetles are whispering conspiracy theories in Bill's ears and his nebbish writer friends Hank (Nicholas Campbell) and Martin (Michael Zelniker) are sleeping with Joan under his nose. When a party trick involving a liquor glass and a gun goes awry, killing Joan, Bill flees to Interzone, a Mediterranean city full of talking insectoid typewriters, double agents, offbeat aesthetes, and plots within plots. As he navigates this paranoid landscape, Bill begins ingesting another drug called mugwump jism and writes fragments that Hank and Martin soon assemble into a novel under the title Naked Lunch. As beat literature aficionados know, Interzone is based on Tangiers -- the city where Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch. The incident in the film in which Hank and Martin appropriate Bill's writing and have it published closely approximates the real-life circumstances of the novel's publication, although it was Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac who helped out the real-life Burroughs. The William Tell incident that kills Bill's wife is also drawn from the author's real life. "William Lee" is both Burroughs' literary stand-in and the name under which he published his first autobiographical novel Junky. Ian Holm, who plays Joan Frost's husband, Tom, would appear in Cronenberg's similarly experimental eXistenZ several years later. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Directed by Michael Tully, the low-key, occasionally darkly humorous drama Cocaine Angel stars Damian Lahey as Scott, a man dealing with a severe cocaine addiction. The minimally plotted film features plainly documented events in his desultory day-to-day existence including losing his job, attempting to visit with his daughter, and always looking to score more of the white powder that controls his life. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Previously filmed by director Sidney Lumet in 1962, Eugene O'Neill's gloomy Pulitzer Prize-winning play Long Day's Journey Into Night is given a vibrant videotaped treatment by Jonathan Miller. Set on one hot August day and night in 1912, the story concerns the tragic Tyrone family (based, as any American literature student will tell, on O'Neill's own star-crossed clan). The four principals include James Tyrone (Jack Lemmon), a once-great actor who compromised his talent by barnstorming all over the country in a tired melodrama and by consuming great quantities of alcohol; James' wife Mary (Bethel Leslie), a morphine addict who lives in a world of dreams and delusions; oldest son Jamie (Kevin Spacey), a drunken hellraiser; and sensitive,tuberculosis-ridden younger son Edmund (Peter Gallagher), the Eugene O'Neill counterpart. As originally staged, Long Day's Journey Into Night was a long journey indeed, running close to four hours. Director Miller wisely prunes the text down to the essentials, and with equal wisdom packs plenty of visual dynamics into an otherwise excessively verbose piece. Long Day's Journey Into Night was first telecast April 11, 1987, over the Showtime Cable Service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Described by director Steven Soderbergh as "Nashville meets The French Connection," this multi-character drama explores the effects of international drug trafficking on all fronts: from their source, to the U.S. border, to the federal government, to the private lives of users. Based upon a miniseries originally aired on Britain's Channel 4, Traffic divides its time among three main storylines and almost a dozen locales. The first and primary plot thread, set in Ohio and Washington, D.C., concerns freshly-appointed drug czar Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), whose enthusiasm for his new prestige position is quickly offset when he realizes his 16-year-old daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) is graduating from recreational drug use to habitual abuse -- a secret that his wife, Barbara (Amy Irving), has kept from him. South of the border, Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) attempts to wage his own war on drugs, heading off a cocaine shipment in the middle of the desert with his less-than-virtuous partner Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas). Surrounded by corruption, Javier approaches the drug war with an attitude of patience and compromise, which opens him up to investigation from General Arturo Salazar (Tomas Milian), the country's dubious drug-enforcement liaison to the U.S. Meanwhile, San Diego drug kingpin Carlos Alaya (Steven Bauer) is caught in a sting operation spearheaded by DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman), leaving behind his very pregnant and very oblivious wife, Helena (Catharine Zeta-Jones). At the behest of Carlos' lawyer and shady confidante, Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), Helena decides to carry on the family business -- with tragic consequences. Adapted by Rules of Engagement scribe Stephen Gaghan, Traffic marked Soderbergh's second major release in 2000 after the critical and box-office success of Erin Brockovich, as well as his second feature as cinematographer (credited under the pseudonym Peter Andrews). A favorite with various guild and critics' awards, Traffic won four Academy Awards in 2001, including statues for Best Supporting Actor (Del Toro) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gaghan), and surprise wins for Steven Mirrone's editing and Soderbergh's direction. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Upon learning that his estranged son in Buenos Aires may have attempted suicide by mixing dog tranquilizers with booze, expatriate Argentine film director Martin immediately leaves Madrid. Upon his arrival in Argentina, he learns that his ex-wife has given up on the aimless, depressive 19-year-old and wants him to contend with the youth back in Spain. Martin agrees, and his son, who is also named Martin, returns with him. Martin, Sr. lives with his cocaine-addicted, much-younger girlfriend Alicia and their mutual friend Dante, a homosexual actor. Though at some level, he cares for both, he is just too emotionally removed to ever show it. It is the same with his son, whom he calls H (pronounced "hache"), meaning hijo or son. Still, each member in the strange family attempts to reach the zombie-like boy, whose only interests seem to be the pursuit of sex and drugs. Essentially an internal drama centered around numerous intense and challenging conversations, this entry from Argentine filmmaker Adolfo Aristarain will most likely appeal to those who love intellectual cinema. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A dramatic treatment of a family torn apart by alcoholism and recovering from it, this was a star vehicle for popular actress Meg Ryan, who plays Alice Green, a school counselor who has a serious drinking problem. Her husband is Michael (Andy Garcia), an airline pilot. Though she's lighthearted and loving, Alice is often reckless and, when drunk, even neglects her children, nine-year-old daughter Jess (Tina Majorino) from a previous marriage, and four-year-old daughter Casey (Mae Whitman), whose father is Michael. After an accident, Alice realizes that she has "hit bottom" and goes into a clinic for rehab. When she returns home, she has kicked her addiction and has become independent and strong, and her perfectionist, controlling husband has trouble adjusting. Michael is used to his wife being weak and helpless, and they end up seeing a marriage counselor to recover from Michael's "co-dependency" on Alice's role as an alcoholic. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

David Veloz made his directorial debut with this drama adapted from the autobiography of comedy writer Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller), whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences. Departing detox, Stahl explores memories with survivor Kitty (Maria Bello), who listens patiently to Stahl's flashback. Other women in Stahl's life are his British wife Sandra (Elizabeth Hurley) and his agent Vola (Lourdes Benedicto). For the TV series "Mr. Chompers" (inspired by ALF), Stahl meets with sitcom exec Craig Ziffer (Fred Willard) and puppeteer Allen (Charles Fleischer). For freaky freebasing, Stahl hangs with mumbler Nicky (Owen Wilson) and druggie Gus (Peter Greene). Stahl himself can be seen in a cameo as the methadone clinic doctor. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Following up on his award-winning opus Shower, Zhang Yang directs this biographical film concerning and starring Chinese film icon Jia Hong-Sheng, who starred in such groundbreaking works as Suzhou River and Frozen. Following initial professional success, Jia falls into a spiral of depression and drug abuse. Soon he drops out from Beijing's acting scene, withdraws from friends, and locks himself in his apartment listening to old records. His parents, who run a small theater troupe in a remote corner of Northeast China, are elated over their son's success but grow increasingly concerned with his anti-social behavior. Soon they, along with the entire population of the apartment building they live in, venture to Beijing hoping to get Jia out of his funk. Eventually, Jia is committed to a mental institution that makes the one in Titicut Follies look like a trip to Disneyland. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

One woman's odyssey through a hellish life of sexual abuse, drug addiction, and crime is resolved in faith in this tough but inspiring drama based on a true story documented by evangelist Bishop T.D. Jakes. Michelle Jordan (Kimberly Elise) was raised by a single mother, Cassie (Loretta Devine), who became involved with a cruel and opportunistic man named Reggie (Clifton Powell). Reggie began displaying an inappropriate interest in Michelle when she was only eight, and at 12 he began violating her on a regular basis. Stung by her mother's denials of Reggie's wrongdoings, Michelle ran away from home and ended up on a dead-end road of drug abuse and prostitution, which led to a stretch in prison for murder. While behind bars, Michelle hears of the teachings of Bishop T.D. Jakes and his work with abused women, and writes the noted preacher in hopes of someday meeting him. To her surprise, Jakes (who plays himself) pays her a visit, and as she shares with him the story of her blighted life, she takes the first steps on the road to emotional and spiritual recovery. Jakes arranges for Michelle to have a three-day furlough from prison so she can attend a revival he's hosting in the area; opting to stay in a half-way house rather than see Cassie and Reggie, Michelle reconnects with many of her old friends during her three days of freedom, including former stripper Nicole (Idalis de Leon), childhood friend and hairdresser Twana (Debbi Morgan), and former boyfriend Todd (Michael Boatman). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this independent coming-of-age drama, David (Eben Gordon) is a 16-year-old boy living in New Jersey, who has been forced to grow up in a hurry. David's father, Jack (James Earley), has decided to leave Katie (Juanita Walsh), his wife, and David's mother. Katie, who has long had a problem with alcohol, quickly sinks deep into drink, and as his siblings distance themselves from the situation, David finds himself taking care of his mother and running the household. David has an interest in acting, and in an effort to escape from his troubles at home, he immerses himself in his school's theater program. David begins to bond with Kenny (Rob Moretti), his drama teacher, but he soon realizes that Kenny's greatest interest in him is sexual. While David feels no physical attraction to men, he succumbs to pressure from Kenny and finds himself in a relationship with his teacher. Desperate to blot out the troubling emotions that envelop him, David begins drinking and using drugs, with unhappy results. Crutch was the first feature film from Rob Moretti, who wrote and directed the picture, also playing Kenny. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Forest Whitaker, Kim Basinger, Jay Mohr, Danny DeVito, Nick Cannon, and Carla Gugino star in director Mark Rydell's ensemble addiction drama detailing the manner in which gambling and drugs affect a variety of people's lives during the weeks leading up to a championship college basketball game. Carolyn (Basinger) is a struggling novelist whose addiction to the slots drives her to deceive her husband Tom (Liotta). Though Carloyn claims to be working on her latest manuscript at a nearby coffee shop, the reality of her situation is decidedly more desperate. Meanwhile, local maintenance worker Clyde (Whitaker) stands at the sidelines of the basketball court cheering for his little brother Godfrey (Cannon) while keeping his lingering gambling debts a well-guarded secret. In another part of town, the ageing Detective Bruner (Kelsey Grammer) methodically trails malevolent bookie Victor (Tim Roth) as Victor's small-time counterpart Augie (Mohr) patiently waits for his ship to come in. As the big game draws near and casino magician Walter (DeVito) befriends gambling-addicted novelist Carolyn, all of these disparate characters slowly come together on a tragic collision course. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A desperate London couple attempts to come to terms with their insatiable addiction to human blood in writer/director Lawrence Pierce's action-packed hybrid addiction/vampire story. Ruby (Katia Winter) is an exotic dancer with a dark past, and her shady East-end outfit is determined to promote her to the rank of call girl. Vincent (Giles Anderson) is the bloodthirsty vampire who was seduced into the world of the undead by a back-alley siren. While at first Vincent struggles to resist his craving for blood, the overwhelming power of his addiction soon takes grip -- forcing him into the streets in search of sustenance. When Ruby and Vincent first met in a crowded London café, it seemed to be love at first sight, but then Vincent's craving kicked in. Now, despite having escaped Vincent, Ruby has begun to experience the first signs of transformation as well. Realizing that the only way to understand what is happening to her, Ruby reluctantly seeks out Vincent and together the pair attempts to break their addiction to human blood. The situation is soon complicated, however, when Ruby's former "owners" decide that they want their star attraction back and send a sadistic killer named Matt to retrieve her by any means necessary. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi