Disrepair

To be honest, I was at first excited to watch. I'm an East Coast girl and a big John Reardon fan but WOW did this miss the mark. I saw it was only four short episodes on Bell and thought it wouldn't be too bad to sit through. I can understand what they were trying to do but getting past the first scene was hard. Wooden and forced acting and hollow writing. And that's when it didn't feel like the actors were struggling to make up the words on the spot. It was like that throughout the show. The ex-wife character was one of the better actors but still fell victim to contrived dialogue. The few good moments of the show were completely wiped clean during that final scene, that was so cringeworthy and overdone. It did the exact opposite of what it should have done.

Many of us know someone who has gone through something like this. Stories about addiction are important but Disrepair feels like a film school project that tries way too hard and is super cringey, which makes it fall flat. It's awkward and clumsy and not in any way that benefits the story or characters.

Disrepair feels contrived, pretentious at times, and often overacted. John Reardon was good as always.

Sad but humorous at times, the story is a realistic depiction of the fallout following yet another relapse and yet another attempt at repairing oneself!

(Copy/pasting to hit the minimum!)

Sad but humorous at times, the story is a realistic depiction of the fallout following yet another relapse and yet another attempt at repairing oneself!

Sad but humorous at times, the story is a realistic depiction of the fallout following yet another relapse and yet another attempt at repairing oneself!

Sad but humorous at times, the story is a realistic depiction of the fallout following yet another relapse and yet another attempt at repairing oneself!

So inspiring and stimulating, this is truly about human struggles and a true Journey, I love the storyline and I truly feel that with the overload of content out there this one really stands out with its authentic message. I like watching shows that you can actually learn something through someone's growth process , sobriety and the obstacles standing in one's way to maintain it , the acting is great as well. I highly recommend watching if you want to learn more about people struggling with addiction and life in general. Good job on brining content that's actually meaningful, compassionate and raw.

A friend of mine worked on this and I was curious to see if it lived up to the awkwardness she described.

It did.

I feel the writing is perhaps the film's weakest point. The dialogue feels unnatural and overwritten, often getting lost in clunky exchanges and underdeveloped story arcs. There are plenty of great examples of authentic, believable dialogue ("Manchester by the Sea", "Before Sunset") that show how it can be done well. Disrepair, unfortunately, often chooses for characters explaining rather than expressing which underestimates the viewer's ability to read between the lines.

The performances suffer as a result. While there are a few moments where the cast shows glimmers of promise, most of the acting feels forced and unconvincing. In my opinion, either the direction or the script (or both) left them with little to work with. I believe most actors have the potential to be good, so I hesitate to say it was an acting issue. But it also could have.

The cinematography = inconsistent and awkward. Off-kilter framing and poor lighting make it more distracting than atmospheric, engaging or intentional. It doesn't feel like a stylistic choice either. The color grading is distracting and mismatched from scene to scene.

I respect any creative effort that tries to tackle addiction seriously and I appreciated the idea of focusing on three men dealing with this issue.

It doesn't need to feel polished or overly cinematic, and it shouldn't. But in the end, what I feel is a lack of technical and narrative skills impedes a potentially nice story.

It's a tough watch for all the wrong reasons.

I just finished watching Disrepair, and wow, what a ride. The main character feels so relatable, like someone you might know in real life, and the supporting cast is fantastic too.

The writing is clever and keeps you hooked, balancing funny moments with some really heartfelt scenes. The visuals are great and they really capture the vibe of the setting.

What I love most is how the show tackles real-life issues while reminding us of the strength we all have. It's one of those series that sticks with you long after you're done watching.

Well done to the cast and crew for this amazing performance!