Days of Wine and Roses [M]

Public relations hot shot, Joe, is a social drinker who never stops socialising. One day he meets a beautiful girl, falls in love, and the two get married. To keep him company, Kirsten, his wife, takes up drinking, and before they know it, the two have become trapped in a web of alcoholism. 

This was a deeply stirring drama about the tragic cycle of alcoholism and finding the strength to stop. With stunning performances from the romantic leads, Days of Wine and Roses was a beautifully crafted film that really should have made it into my movie bible: 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die. 

Public relations hot shot, Joe, is a social drinker who never stops socialising. One day he meets Kirsten, the prettiest girl he’s ever seen and he immediately falls in love with her. After they are married, Kirsten starts drinking to keep Joe company and, before they know it, the pair have become trapped in a web of alcoholism. 

This movie really opened my eyes to what it means to be addict. The power of the film comes solely from the stunning performances from Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. It’s a real actors’ movie. 

Jack Lemmon stars as Joe and his performance was absolutely amazing. I was completely captivated from the start. He’s charming throughout the entire film, but those scenes where he goes insane from a strong need for drink are deeply deeply moving. Like right-down-at-the-bottom-of-your-stomach deeply moving. His repetition of the line “who took it? Who took it?” when he cannot find his extra bottle almost reduced me to tears. I cannot put into words how much of an impression Jack’s performance left on me.  He is officially in my Top Ten Favourite Actors list. 

Lee Remick stars Kirsten and hers was a strong performance also. Admittedly, I don’t like actresses so I did not find her performance as captivating and strong as Jack’s, but she definitely made my stomach turn over. It was really sad to watch her go from this innocent woman who never drank, to a real alcoholic who cannot bear the idea of going without a drink (even if she burns down the house in the process). She’s a wonderful actress. 

Starring Jack Klugman, Alan Hewitt, Tom Palmer, and Jack Albertson, Days of Wine and Roses was a beautifully crafted drama about dependency and struggle and it was filled with drama, romance, charm, comedy, and plenty to drink. It’s a film that will stay with me forever and one that I strongly suggest everyone watch. Even if you don’t much fancy the subject matter, this film will open your eyes as to what a true addict is. It’s a work of pure genius. Deeply moving!