You know, usually I like grabbing a drink before I watch a film. Maybe a glass of beer or two glasses of wine. Kind of glad I didn't do that this time. Would have been really awkward.
'The Voices in the Mirror' is the story of an alcoholic man who desperately tries overcome his addiction and help others in the process.
He fails at it multiple times, nearly loses the love of his life and is constantly bombarded by bad luck, circumstance and a unforgiving world.
Also Walter Matthau is playing a doctor with very bad bedside manner.
It's implying that he's only this brutal towards Richard Egan character but still a little tact might help from time to time.
But it doesn't matter, it's a story of struggle and salvation.
And possibly the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Which means there's some very limited biblical referencing.
It's in the film enough not to be ignored but it's also not brought up enough to become all that influential. More of a background feature that's only here because of the real life Alcoholics Anonymous.
A group who I think is ultimately beneficial, tho slightly problematic with the religious overtones.
It's not good to preach religion to people when they're desperate*.
It's a little exploitive if you ask me.
Even if the people doing it I have the best of intentions.
Still better than nothing.
The movie itself is fine.
Good acting all around and a screenplay that is enticing to keep you interested the full 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This could have easily devolved into pointless melodrama or exploitative marital abuse.
But it never goes down then venue and it doesn't lose sight of its original storyline and devolve into a secondary story involving some sort of criminal drama.
Like the main character robs a liquor store with a gun he acquired and it would turn into a courtroom case or a police shootout.
You know some sort of pointless action or thriller plot line to needlessly bolster the film.
Make it more accessible to a ''general audience'' that kind of thing.
In fact I think one of the main reasons this movie stayed so steadfast in its original message is because of its supposed connection to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Studios become a little less ''Hands-On'' with needlessly editing a film when a real life humanitarian organization is involved.
Or at least that's what I like to think.
Who knows. Maybe all the right people are working on it at the right time and someone at the head up just went; ''Yeah we don't need to mess around here. The film is fine as it is.''
Also the drunk acting never got that out of hand or cartoony. I like Foster Brooks as much as the next guy but there's a right time and place for that kind of acting and I luckily we don't do that here.
*when I say preach religion I mean literally when they incorporated into the 12-step program.
I think if you want to have a religious organization trying to help people overcome addictive substances it's fine. But much like the separation of church and state, medicine and evangelizing should also be a little separate.
I'm sure you could preach the gospel of God to the person once the initial steps to recovery are actually completed.
Though admittedly they might have toned down the religious overtones in later years. Possibly they'd even removed the physical portions from their modern programs.
I'm not 100% on that. I do see Alcoholics Anonymous books in the religious sections of bookstores all the time, so I suspected still around to some extent.
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