The Adderall Diaries

Love Stephen Elliott <3 two PrObLeMaTiC actors as leads but great film

Two words: Amber Heard

The Adderall Diaries si presenta come un dramma giudiziario nei primi minuti; salvo poi soffermarsi fin da subito sul personaggio di James Franco che diventa il centro della pellicola. Una volta compresi i disagi del protagonista, il film non si sviluppa, si limita a mostrare infiniti problemi senza nessuno scopo. Funziona davvero poco, compreso un finale sbrigativo.

Coulda been, shoulda been. There is the makings of a good movie about memory, rationalization of bad decisions and alternate realities here, but the script, director and lead actor were not up to the task. You just kept wanting to know more about the protagonists, the father and son, but instead got hazy flashbacks and bitter recriminations. Amber Heard and her naked scenes were enough of reason to watch the screen for awhile but aside from her beauty, this sort of withered on the vine.

I couldn't even finish it, incredibly boring.

Franco did a great portrayal of making you feel where the flow of the novel/ film was headed. The best I can summarize is by quoting the movies greatest lesson “A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when we look at ourselves under a light, finally seeing our reflections. How little we know about ourselves. How much forgiveness it must take to love a person, to choose not to see their flaws, or to see those flaws and love the person anyway. If you never forgive you’ll always be alone.”

it's ok not the best

I related to this hence my 4.5 stars and I do think the critics didn't give it its proper dues. Worth a second and third watch.

A screwed-up family, a screwed-up life, and the self-destruction of the future due to the need to consume drugs. But, it's the family that saves tomorrow. A better film than the ratings indicate.

I've always been a fan of the majority of Ed Harris' films, James Franco, and to a lesser extent, Christian Slater. Watching Netflix this afternoon, I stumbled upon "The Adderall Diaries", a movie based on Stephen Elliott's book named the same. In this stage of my life, maybe the emotions this movie brought out in me was due to a culmination of self-investigation, trying to determine how at 48, I've found myself recalling memories of the mistakes I made in raising my own son, the mistakes I made in my marriage, or the mistakes I made with my own family. There's a line in the movie that goes something like, "My father and I argued for so long over who was the victim and who was the villain that it never occurred to me whether I wanted to be either of those things." I admit that I too have considered myself the victim of the circumstances I find myself in currently, while knowing how many times I was the villain. I've lost my wife of twenty five years. My son...I've enabled him and his actions for as long as he's been on this planet. Now, it's my turn to pay the piper. I cannot pretend to be the victim or the villain. I am both.