Duane Hopwood (2005)

Actually I was biding my time to get back to " Law and Order" when all of a sudden there it was. "Duane Hopwood" With one eye on the clock, and the other on the screen I suddenly lost track of the time, and became mesmerized by this delightful movie. I often wondered what Atlantic City looked like in the winter. David Schwimmer was excellent, but why is he listed so far down on the credits. The rest of the cast was equally excellent. So that's what happened to Dick Cavett ! This was another gem that was put on the shelf. Thank you for taking it down. I'm usually very good with words, but this time I'm at a loss for another sentence. Just to say I enjoyed the movie immensely,and didn't fall asleep once...

There's a certain tenderness that sifts its way through "Duane Hopwood", a post-Friends starring vehicle for David Schwimmer that navigates the tentative dialogue between alcoholism and the dark cloud that hangs not just above the individual, but those who surround themselves around the afflicted throughout their darkest days. Take comfort in them, as they are the saints who prop you up when you're down and show you life's little rainbows over the puddles of rain.There's considerable sincerity in Matt Mulhern's second feature and credit has to go to its cadre of performers who are mainly made up of fairly well known stand-ups and comedians. They shed their onstage personas to become real people and it shows that the understanding they share also allows these actors to have better chemistry among themselves. Schwimmer, in particular, breaks his personal mould and gives a nuanced, careful portrayal of a man teetering on life's edge. His perpetual hangdog exterior allows Duane some measure of sympathy even through the most appalling decisions that he has made.In one astoundingly bad decision, he drives his youngest child home while drunk and in the process loses the only things that has tethered his life together in an uncaring courtroom that does not deal in circumstances but the cold, hard facts of Duane's unforgivable mistake. That instance proves too much for his wife, Linda (Janeane Garofalo) to handle. She's not an uncaring woman in any respect, just a mother who does not gamble the lives of their two young daughters with the hope of her husband changing anytime soon."Duane Hopwood" does not make a caricature out of its titular character, and it does not pile on the disheartening melodrama out of alcoholism. While not concerning us with the issues of why and how Duane becomes who he is, it does specify that it's a whole different world for alcoholics especially the ones deep in denial. It truly excels in crafting a delicate and carefully drawn portrait of an alcoholic who's made mistakes in his life and has to find a way to live through them. Understanding in only a way that comes to those who observe life through fortitude, it's genuine in the sense of showing ordinary people in ordinary situations who react in ordinary ways. They cope and the film is thoughtful enough to refrain from putting cinematic spins on issues that are already inherently interesting.Thankfully, it's mindful of not becoming too much of a downbeat, despairing approximation of Duane's life. Despite everything, he is surrounded by friends and family who still love and yearns for him to be happy. They never forget that he is a good worker, a good father and a good husband cursed with flaws that are slowly taking him over. It's frequent, but low-key sense of humour does hint of the redemption that waits around the corner for the wretched. "Duane Hopwood" is ultimately about picking up the pieces and moving on, and not about fixing what's broken.

Simple formula: take a sitcom star (David Schwimmer as the title character) looking to break type, put him in an indie film, add a B-list actress (Janeane Garafolo as Linda) who gets a leading role for a change, throw in a talk-show relic (Dick Cavett as Fred) who surprised people not only by being in the film, but reminding them that he's still alive, and you get little more than a useful reminder to Hollwood's snobbier diva types that you can make a movie on a low budget with a dialogue-driven script. This, however, does not mean that the movie is good, even if the intentions of those involved were.In Duane Hopwood, we get one movie more than a life like this deserves. Schwimmer brings the alcoholic lead to life, and we get to follow him around as he stumbles from one predictable, self-inflicted crisis to another. Schwimmer as a total bad boy would too much disbelief to suspend, so Duane is portrayed more as a likable loser, at least on his good days. We see that Duane loves his daughters, who love him back equally, and pines for the ex-wife who moved on to another man. The movie does correctly show the selfishness of her choice, as Linda puts her own happiness above that of her daughters, who clearly want their father around. Linda is a boring, predictable character played by an even more boring and predictable actress. Garafolo has many fans, but I am not one of them.Dick Cavett's "cameo" as the presumably gay neighbor was interesting, though it didn't add much to the film. Much of the action focused on Duane at his job, as if to send home the message that the world runs on people like him, people who manage to put aside their problems long enough to clock into work and do their jobs for us. Judah Friedlander (Anthony) is Duane's main sidekick, who moves in with him mostly for co-dependent reasons (he needs to get away from home and Duane needs a ride due to a DUI conviction).We see Duane continually getting in his own way, but to what end? To tell us that an alcoholic is going to hurt himself is not groundbreaking, the film was sorely lacking in a purpose that would convince the viewer that there was ever a reason to tell this story on film other than to put a few actors into an indie so that they might get better consideration for the big-ticket roles they ostensibly shunned to take this more "artistic" creation.Don't get me wrong; this is not a horrible film. The acting is decent, and far worse stories have made the big screen. The film just does not stand out or leave much of an impression on the audience beyond the novelty appeal of seeing Schwimmer playing what is essentially an alcoholic version of Ross. If he wanted to break type, he should have tried playing a mob boss rather than a wimpy pit boss.Of all the performances in the film, the one that actually stands out the most was Ramya Pratt as Mary. I wouldn't be surprised to see her getting Oscar nominations in another decade or two. She did incredibly well with limited material, and showed great timing, poise, and maturity handling material that would have been beyond most actresses her age.I wouldn't tell someone not to see this film, but I wouldn't go out of my way to endorse it, either. Purely a middle-of-the-road effort that does not accomplish what Schwimmer seems so desperately to want to, but he does get an A for effort.

I went to rent a movie the other day and I saw this movie. At first this looked like a really ordinary movie but I had seen David Schwimmer in friends and I wanted to see him act in a different role. This movie was shown in the sun dance festival and I think David shcwimmer has done justice to his role. This movie is for any person who is alive today. This is about your daily life and how you go about it. Everyone has problems and every one tackles with them each day. Duane hopwood has done the same thing here. He has shown his life as it passes by each day. He has shown love for his family. I personally enjoyed this movie. This movie is at a higher level and by that I mean it has got lot of emotions in it and you need to look at each frame by frame to see what I am saying. If you have loved some one or if you are facing any problem in your life or if you think your life is not going where you wanted it to go then watch this movie and you will come to realize that it is not only you but there are a lot of people who have the same problem. This movie is anyones life. I highly recommend this film to all film watchers.