Sherrybaby
The struggling and/or recovering drug addict goes way back in the cinema. Probably the first hard look at drug abuse in major Hollywood production was Frank Sinatra's turn as a heroin addict in Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). At the time, it was a startling portrayal of a man coming apart at the seams while trying to kick a habit that most mainstream moviegoers knew little about. Now drug addiction is commonplace in both everyday life and the movies, and the trick in the latter case is to make the experience an engrossing character study. The story of Sherry Swanson fits the bill and Maggie Gyllenhaal's rightly Oscar-nominated performance as a recovering addict who wants to do the right thing but can't get out of her own way hooks you from the very beginning. Sherry is an immature, selfish individual smart enough to recognize her flaws but too stubborn and weak to admit she needs help. Add to that a supporting cast of characters who find her an easy mark, or genuinely want to help but end up using her to fulfill their own needs, or family members frustrated by her continuous inability to shape up, and you've got a recipe for compelling drama about a tortured woman with a lot of choices, only a few of which will keep her on the straight and narrow.
- August 3, 2007
DVD Extras
The movie may be good, but this is not a great DVD by any means—anamorphic widescreen 1.78:1; Dolby Digital 2.0; theatrical trailer.