Days of Wine and Roses
Days of Wine and Roses is film about two alcoholics' progression through the disease. At the start of the film Joe Clay, played by Jack Lemmon, is a public relations executive, already a heavy drinker. His soon to be wife, Kirsten Arnesen, is secretary to Joe's boss at the firm they both work for. Kirsten doesn't drink at the start of the film, but is persuaded by Joe, on their first date, to drink. He overcomes her resistance, by having the bartender at the restaurant they are at, make her a Brandy Alexander, after she expresses her distaste for the taste of alcohol, and her love of chocolate. As Joe and Kirsten's relationship grows, with alcohol at its center, they both pass through various stages of alcoholism. Joe …show more content…
Lemmon and Remick both did a superb job of portraying alcoholics, and the progression of the disease. Director Blake Edwards did an exemplary job of identifying alcoholic tendencies in both of the films main characters, which as an alcoholic in recovery, I was able to identify with. Watching this film brought up feelings of gratefulness for my personal recovery, as well as painful memories associated with my own past incomprehensible demoralization. I could identify very closely with Clay's self destructive professional and personal behavior. I could relate to him letting the pressures of work, lead to using alcohol as a coping mechanism, as well as identify with his earnest desire to quit drinking through self-will, only to fail. As a married man, whose wife is also in recovery, I felt both grateful for my family in recovery, and deep sorrow for the movie portrayal of the destruction of a family, by alcohol. Sorrow, because I know many alcoholics who suffered the destruction of their families, in real life. My family, was on the verge of destruction, as I chose recovery, before my spouse, and suffered the same separation portrayed in the film. Today, I thank my Higher Power, that he intervened, and my wife conceded to attend an South Orange County rehabilitation program where she was exposed to, and chose recovery. A fact which resulted in both of us enrolling at Saddleback, and making recovery in AA our
Days of Wine and Roses is film about two alcoholics' progression through the disease. At the start of the film Joe Clay, played by Jack Lemmon, is a public relations executive, already a heavy drinker. His soon to be wife, Kirsten Arnesen, is secretary to Joe's boss at the firm they both work for. Kirsten doesn't drink at the start of the film, but is persuaded by Joe, on their first date, to drink. He overcomes her resistance, by having the bartender at the restaurant they are at, make her a Brandy Alexander, after she expresses her distaste for the taste of alcohol, and her love of chocolate. As Joe and Kirsten's relationship grows, with alcohol at its center, they both pass through various stages of alcoholism. Joe …show more content…
Lemmon and Remick both did a superb job of portraying alcoholics, and the progression of the disease. Director Blake Edwards did an exemplary job of identifying alcoholic tendencies in both of the films main characters, which as an alcoholic in recovery, I was able to identify with. Watching this film brought up feelings of gratefulness for my personal recovery, as well as painful memories associated with my own past incomprehensible demoralization. I could identify very closely with Clay's self destructive professional and personal behavior. I could relate to him letting the pressures of work, lead to using alcohol as a coping mechanism, as well as identify with his earnest desire to quit drinking through self-will, only to fail. As a married man, whose wife is also in recovery, I felt both grateful for my family in recovery, and deep sorrow for the movie portrayal of the destruction of a family, by alcohol. Sorrow, because I know many alcoholics who suffered the destruction of their families, in real life. My family, was on the verge of destruction, as I chose recovery, before my spouse, and suffered the same separation portrayed in the film. Today, I thank my Higher Power, that he intervened, and my wife conceded to attend an South Orange County rehabilitation program where she was exposed to, and chose recovery. A fact which resulted in both of us enrolling at Saddleback, and making recovery in AA our