The Lost Weekend

A subtle Hollywood look at the pitfalls of alcoholism, the power of love and hope. Ray Milland is great, as is the directing, which carefully guides us through the protagonist’s increasingly steep descent. The initial coldness and apathy towards the character grows into compassion and pity. It’s just a shame about the terrible ending, which diminishes the overall impression and brings my rating down by a whole star. Otherwise, this is definitely a film after which you won’t crave a drink. (16/01/2005)

I was thinking that alcoholism was an interesting topic. Especially when you’re talking about eight beers and a crazy guy. But I wouldn’t expect Americans to make alcoholism into such a farce. Billy Wilder might be a good director, but he probably doesn’t know what life is like, because the things I’ve seen here have nothing to do with the reality nowadays. And don’t even get me started about the ending. It was a pure fairytale I’d love to screen to all the alcoholics out there, asking them if they believe that their lives could meet with such incredible luck. Of course they couldn’t. One could wonder about the typical American happy end that has stuck with American movies for decades now and where it came from.The Lost Weekend has a decent premise, but it makes you think whether it wasn’t more of The Lost Hour and a Half, because it doesn’t have absolutely anything to offer. Or it does, but it ends at a rough offer and it goes absolutely nowhere. It was very weak. I think that if I head over to the pub and start chatting with the local old geezers, I’ll live to see a better and a harsher drama than this movie’s got to offer. (14/05/2013)

A socially dangerous movie due to its naivety which can’t even be fully excused by the year it was made in. The filmmakers’ notion of alcoholism is about as realistic as a five-year-old’s. In fact they are saying that you are irresistibly attractive if you drink like a fish from morning till night, destroying everybody’s lives around you. But nobody cares of course, and everybody from barman to lover take loving care of you and still think of you as “Mr. Incredible". Then everything turns out well, you become a famous writer and, as a bonus, you can see terribly cool animals (a bat!) during your delirium tremens. No damage, a great ride. So why not become a lush for a couple of years? P.S.: Ray Milland overacts outrageously and his every gesture is charged with “gimmeanOscargimmeanOscargimmeanOscar". And what do you think? Of course, he got one. (22/11/2008)

On the one hand, traditionally excellent direction by Billy Wilder and great acting by Ray Milland, which has not aged at all. On the other hand, a Hollywood superficial handling of the subject and occasional noticeable naivety of the script. However, taking into account the time of creation and the seriousness of the subject, I come to the conclusion that I must lean towards a higher rating, and therefore to four stars. Overall impression: 75%. (25/12/2016)

The confession of a truly honest alcoholic (as Bolek Polívka would say), which, although due to the ingrained Hollywood need to melodramatize, is 100% inconsistent with the reality of similarly high-frequency emptying of whiskey glasses, still safely achieves its "anti-alcoholic" goal. Milland's performance is excellent and Wilder, though he has more interesting films to his credit, dictates the narrative with just enough insistent and addictive pace to make us properly nervous about whether we'll leave with just a hangover, or end up in a coma or with our heads shot off. The ending was a bit disappointing considering the course and expectations, but on the other hand, it didn't detract from the story. Alcohol can be a good friend, but when you've been in its company every day since morning, something is wrong. :) 80% (29/03/2016)

An excellent example of how it is possible to make a film about an alcoholic and present it truly oppressively, even though you don't know from the beginning that it will be like that. The gradual escalation is great, as well as the form that was used at certain moments. The scene with the bat is truly oppressive. It's a shame that Hollywood was guided by the code at that time because I am quite curious about how it would end if the ethical code didn't exist. It's still a great film. (25/09/2014)