I'm not even sure what I liked about this film. I almost turned it off around the 30 minute-mark. But it somehow got under my skin. Combined with the powerful, convincing performances by all involved (in particular Joaquin Phoenix), I couldn't really look away.
It centers around John Callahan, a cartoonist (played by Phoenix) who is left wheelchair-bound following a drunk car accident. It follows his journey to sobriety through AA, and ultimate path to redemption, forgiveness and all the usual feel-good stuff. It has a heavy dose of depressive darkness thrown in too. Despite being oddly inspiring in nature, it doesn't follow the typical "inspirational true story" format and never feels contrived in its delivery.
There is a lot of dark humour and rare units among the characters here, which make it an entertaining ride. The structure of the film is absolutely all over the place though. It leaves the viewer feeling as in an alcoholic haze themselves, which is perhaps effective, if not frustrating and making for difficult viewing.
Jonah Hill and Joaquin Phoenix had great chemistry, and I really enjoyed any scene with Rooney Mara, which took on an almost angelic heavenly vibe. Jack Black was Jack Black. The "forgiveness" scenes were among the best and the AA meetings were also done effectively.
As someone approaching 10 years of sobriety myself, there was a lot to keep me engaged and many thought-provoking themes, lines and scenes. Recommend for those after something different or anyone after a true acting masterclass.
