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James Frey (Johnson) is an addict. In every sense of the word, he is an angry, self-destructive, addict. At 23 yrs old, he has just about destroyed himself as much as a person can. Then, one night after smoking a bunch of crack, he falls off the balcony of a house. He wakes up with a broken nose and lacerated face. He also happens to be on a plane headed for Minneapolis, where his brother Bob is waiting to take him to a rehab center for addicts.

Once at the center, James begins detoxing and fights against the treatment from the staff. He says (over & over) that he's not an addict. That all of their solutions are bs. He also meets quite a few "interesting" people at the rehab center, all who are trying to get & stay clean. Some of whom, help James on his journey to sobriety.

So, this movie was not the easiest viewing (a freaking rough movie), but it's a worthwhile one, with an incredibly good cast! Johnson never fails to amaze me. He's come a long way from portraying KickAss (not that I didn't really enjoy those movies). He really brings it in this role. The supporting cast (including Billy Bob Thornton, Odessa Young, Giovanni Ribisi, Juliette Lewis, Charles Parnell, Ryan Hurst, David Dastmalchian, & Charlie Hunnan) is outstanding, especially Thornton.

As I said, this is a really good movie, but it's not an easy one to get through. If you cannot compartmentalize you're emotions, keep tissues handy.

Overall, I'd give it a 6.8 rating for the performances of the cast.

Charlie (Fraser) was never the best looking guy in any room, as well as always being the "big" guy that carrieda bit of extra weight, and was self conscious about it. Regardless, Charlie eventually met a woman named Mary, with whom he settled down with and had a daughter named Ellie. For the next 8 yrs of so Charlie, Mary, & Ellie lived like any other family. Then Charlie fell in love with one of his male college students named Alan, and left his wife & daughter to be with him.

Fast-forward 8 yrs into the future, Charlie is now a morbidly obese man who lives alone in a rented apartment, and teaches online writing/composition college courses. He does not leave his apartment, and is barely able to move about. Which he cannot do without the use of a walker.

His boyfriend, Alan, died a few years ago, which sent Charlie into a deep depression, which he doctored by consuming as much food as possible day in & day out (literally eating his feelings).

He has not seen Ellie since she was 8, and only knows what little information about her mother will tell him when he asks.

The only person Charlie sees on a regular basis is Liz (Alan's sister, who happens to be a nurse).

When we (the audience) see Charlie at the beginning of the movie, he is in a very bad way. He is more than likely 500 lbs, immobile, with a blood pressure reading of 238/134. So, he's got congestive heart failure and is literally on deaths door. Realizing it's his last chance to do so, he contacts his daughter, and asks to see her.

Now,, I'm not gonna spoil everything. I will say that this movie is not at all for the faint of heart. It's a tough viewing. One of the most emotionally draining movies I've probably ever watched. (Especially considering that I've struggled with eating disorders myself)

Fraser's performance is outstanding! Literally the reason I wanted to see this (I just knew it would be draining). So good. He brought tears to my eyes several times. No wonder he was nominated for and won the Oscar. The supporting cast was incredible as well, including Morton, the actress playing Liz, the girl from Stranger Things, and the boy from Iron Man 3. All incredible performances.

All of that being said,, there were things about the film I didn't care for. There was a scene early on that I thought was really uncalled for (if you watch it, you'll see). Charlie could've started having breathing trouble without,, what was going on (viewing "something" online). I also didn't care for the way that the religious aspects were talked about.

The performances is what make this film, but as I said, it is not for the faint of heart. Charlie is really trying to kill himself. He's told over & over by Liz, then Mary & Ellie to go to the hospital, yet he refuses. He wanted to die.

I can't really give a higher rating due to these aspects of the story.

Cooper (Hartnett) is a seemingly mild mannered Dad who works for the fire department. He, his wife, and two kids live in the picture perfect American home. Just living their American dream.

On this day, Cooper is taking his teenage daughter to see Lady Raven (the current mainstream pop sensation) in concert. They arrive to the stadium, and notice that the place is heavily guarded with police at every possible entrance/exit. Not thinking anything of it, the father & daughter make their way to their seats near the main stage. Lady Raven comes on and the spectacle begins!

During intermission, Cooper asks around about why the place has so many more police officers than normal. Well,, it turns out that they are all there for him.

Cooper, mild-mannered as he seems,, has a dark secret. A secret that he has managed to keep hidden from everyone around him for a long time. He is a killer,,

Alright,, so that much you could've surmised from watching the movie trailers, right? So I'm not going to go into anymore detail about that. I will say that this movie is not bad. It's certainly not great either,, but it's not bad. A 6.2 rating imo. I thought Hartnett was really good (no big surprise there), and the rest of the cast was more than adequate. So yeah, totally worth watching, just nothing to really write home about.