Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Cari-vanamburg This movie needs to be seen by all those in recovery or who love someone in recovery. The truth of the film is this. We live in a nation that stigmatizes addiction as a problem of will power, a moral failing. Policies at the state and federal level reflect our collective disdain for the addict, preventing addicts and alcoholics from getting treatment they need, and criminalizing their behavior. The film points to strides made in the 60s and 70s to medically classify addiction being undermined by the war on drugs and slashing of mental health and addition treatment. It is true that a person needing access to help, long term help, is not able to find it quickly and the help they receive is not generally found to sustain long term recovery. As a recovered person, in long term recovery, I understand the need for sustained, continued treatment and support. The film does an excellent job of drawing out these shortcomings in our system and postulating that if recovered people come together, as an interest group, we will have more power to effect change within the system. We cannot continue incarcerating the problem away. We need to recognize addiction as an illness, and work to find a comprehensive cure. As for the 12th tradition, the film points to our culture of anonymity as being a road block to collective action with the 12 step communities. It is successful in creating its argument and solidifying the need for collective action to help those still struggling or stuck in the revolving door of prison and drug abuse. It is up to recovered people to speak out because no one speaks for us. The film does not debase the great work of 12 step programs and the roll they play. It does not call on the GSO to throw our our traditions and become a lobbying organization. It asks individual recovered folks to take a second look at the service in their own program and ask, "can I do more?" For this recovered drunk I must say, "yes, I can". I am filled with gratitude that this lack of representation was brought to my attention and if I truly believe myself to be one with my fellows, then I must stand up for those who are disenfranchised, stuck and without help, and demand my government and society to recognize us as a block of people who deserve services and compassion just like any other person with a disease. I'm moved to action, and that was the basis of the film, much like the 12th step. My work is not yet done, my service to others can be taken to a state and national scale. Go see it!!!

Tricia Foley-Jones The time has come for this conversation to take place. I was fascinated by the history of this disease and the effect our government has had (or not) on this epidemic. It is beyond my comprehension that addiction has reached the level that we see today in our communities. My little county leads the state of Maryland in overdose deaths...higher than Baltimore city. Lack of treatment and little oversight in the medical field are to blame. My husband is a person in long time recovery and for us that means that he has been drug and alcohol free for over 18 years. It also means that he has been a good husband, a wonderful father and a positive role model in our community. We need more people to come forward and show that in recovery all things are possible.To the director of this empowering film....thank you! We needed this wake up call! We took all of the guys from our recovery house to see your movie and it changed the way they view themselves and gave them a new perspective on their recovery. We were all inspired by your message and will carry it with us!

eml3 I found this movie to be respectful of the traditions of 12 step groups, as no one identified themselves as a member of a 12 step group.I also found this movie to be informative, educational and inspiring. To me, the main message was that people in recovery should consider the opportunity to give a face to addiction so that public policy changes can be made that allow addiction to be treated as a public health problem, thus allowing appropriate services to be put in place.It's not suggesting that addicts who commit crimes should not be held accountable for their crimes, but that treatment should be as available to an addict as jail time is. One presenter made an important point that a person can commit a crime and receive public services (i.e. jail) immediately, but when an addict has decided they want to get treatment they often have to wait weeks to get an available bed - and that lapse in time can be deadly. Another interesting point was that an addict can pick up a glass pipe legally at the corner store for a couple of bucks, then turn around and get arrested for possession of that same pipe.We as a society fall very short in our handling of addiction, and putting a public face to addiction may help to motivate policy makers to realize that not only does addiction affect people from all walks of life, but that many prominent and instrumental people in our society are people with this disease that would not be doing what they're doing if they weren't able to get treatment.As a person with 25 years in recovery I was also forced to consider my own choices about my visibility. What am I doing in my own life to help to reduce the stigma and misinformation that surrounds addicts/addiction? I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who's life has been touched by addiction in any way, as well as anyone who has a general concern for the culture and welfare of society.

dar_dunaway Greg Williams brings to light the hidden world of addicts, and sheds light on why it does not, and should not be that way. Far from attacking 12 step programs, the film raises the question of what anonymity means and how useful it is to helping addicts still suffering. (Bill W, a founder of AA, was an ardent and outspoken advocate on addiction issues, and readily put himself out there to help others). The film praises the 12 step movement as a powerful force for change for the addict. It also asks the question why should an addict be ashamed of their disease? Why would someone with cancer or AIDS feel shame? same for addiction. The film shows a new way to help addiction, by using a unified voice to create change in healthcare, government, attitudes and stigmas that cause so many to be anonymous, rather than heard to create better care for these sick individuals and their families.