Days of Wine and Roses

Jack Lemmon -
Joe Clay

Lee Remick -
Kirsten Arnesen Clay

Charles Bickford -
Ellis Arnesen

Jack Klugman -
Jim Hungerford

Alan Hewitt -
Rad Leland

Tom Palmer -
Ballefoy

Debbie Megowan -
Debbie Clay

Maxine Stuart -
Dottie

Blake Edwards' serious side comes through in a big way with Days of Wine and Roses. Throughout his career, Edwards has produced some memorable comedies, like The Return of the Pink Panther, The Great Race and 10. Occasionally, he delivered a drama, and this is one of his best efforts. This heartrending story of two alcoholics reveals the weaknesses and vulnerability that comes with drinking. Working from JP Miller's script, the famed director paints a bleak portrait of what many consider to be a recreational activity. Alcohol consumption can reach out-of-control levels, yet while many people know this, alcoholics don't want to admit to this affliction until something drastic happens in their life to force a change.

Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) is a successful public relations executive with a large firm. Upon meeting new secretary Kirsten Arnesen (Lee Remick), he immediately falls for her. Despite an initial misunderstanding, she warms up to him and not too long later they are married. It happens so quickly that the newlywed couple shows up at her father's place to announce the news. They were married two hours earlier. Kirsten is not a drinker, but Joe enjoys a good drink. When she tells him she doesn't drink but likes chocolate, Joe orders her a chocolate-flavored alcoholic beverage and she likes it. Eventually, she moves on to the kinds of drinks Joe enjoys, like liquor straight from the bottle.

After several years of marriage and one daughter, the Clays have become heavy drinkers. Joe's job is very stressful, and Kirsten's lack of alcohol prior to meeting Joe has given her a low tolerance, so that the effects of alcohol are much stronger on her. Their lives take a downward spiral when Kirsten accidentally burns down the apartment and Joe is fired from his job. They have vowed never to let alcohol ruin them again, so they move in with Kirsten's father Ellis (Charles Bickford) in an attempt to start over. It works for a little while, but the temptation to drink again is always looming nearby. Joe begins to crave the drink so much that he tears apart his father-in-law's greenhouse to search for a hidden bottle. This is a powerful scene, with a brilliant bit of acting by Jack Lemmon. Confidence turns to desperateness, and the result is a defeated man unable to fight off his demons.

While Joe seeks out help with AA, Kirsten doesn't want to hear about it. She doesn't want to admit that she has a problem, and she assures Joe that her strong will is enough to overcome her addiction. The irony is that she talks about a strong will as the cure, yet the fact that she would talk about that in the first place reveals her doubts about the seriousness of her situation. Slipping back into a drunken stupor is too easy. Joe's fellow AA buddy Jim (Jack Klugman) warns him that alcohol was their common ground. If he's sober and she isn't, she might feel as if their connection is lost. It's a tough time for Joe, and if he wants to stay clean, he has to make harsh decisions that could cause irreparable harm to their relationship.

Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick give remarkable performances. In the early stages of their courtship, they are very much in love and their feelings are pretty obvious. As addiction kicks in, their pitiful behavior invites our sympathy. Watching two successful people with seemingly everything - money, child, apartment - degenerate into "bums," as Joe describes them, is a painful experience. Days of Wine and Roses is one of the most illuminating films on the horrors of alcoholism. Blake Edwards, for all his talent in comedy, hit all the right notes here. It is unlike anything he's ever done.

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