Michael Keaton Showed a Completely Different Side of Himself in This '80s Drama

Clean and Sober

Clean and Sober is a drama that centers on Daryl Poynter, a successful but troubled real estate agent whose life spirals out of control due to his cocaine addiction. After embezzling company funds and facing personal and legal crises, Daryl checks into a rehabilitation center, initially to hide out. However, he confronts his addiction and begins a difficult journey toward recovery and self-discovery.

Release Date August 10, 1988

Director Glenn Gordon Caron

Runtime 124 Minutes

Main Genre Drama

Writers Tod Carroll

What Is 'Clean and Sober' About?

Released in 1988, Clean and Sober was a clear break from the image that Keaton had concocted for himself in the first decade of his career. After his scene-stealing performance in the Ron Howard comedy Night Shift introduced him as a superstar, Keaton perfected the “hapless dad” role in comedies like Mr. Mom and Gung Ho. The subsequent success of Batman and Beetlejuice would put him on a new level alongside the industry’s most in demand actors, but Clean and Sober was a risky project that allowed Keaton to be more vulnerable than he had ever been before.

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Keaton stars in Clean and Sober as the self-destructive real estate salesman Daryl Poynter, whose addiction to cocaine and alcohol has made it difficult for him to perform his responsibilities with any semblance of authenticity. Daryl is undeniably talented at connecting with clients, but he’s so intent on risking any chance to move up in the world that he usually lands himself in dangerous situations. After he chooses to embezzle part of a recent victory in an attempt to score more drugs, Daryl makes the difficult decision to check himself into a rehabilitation facility willingly. Daryl initially only intends for this to be a brief detour in which he can easily slip back into his job; however, he finds himself forming an earnest relationship with the counselor Craig (Morgan Freeman), who gives him the honest advice that he needs in order to seriously swing his life in a different direction.

Keaton’s notoriety as a comedy star helped make the themes of Clean and Sober more powerful, as the film examines how even the most seemingly well-adjusted people can be suffering from addiction issues that they get so skilled at hiding. It’s notable that Clean and Sober was released in the 1980s when the “War on Drugs” and Public Service Announcements from the Ronald Reagan administration seemed to indicate that walking away from addiction was as easy as “just say no.” Clean and Sober reveals that to certainly not be the case, as many addicts may suffer from feelings of shame at admitting that they need help. Clean and Sober addresses how addiction has not only obvious physical side effects, but can be linked to mental health issues as well.

'Clean and Sober' Takes a Sensitive Look at Addiction

Image via Warner Bros. 

Keaton gives a very restrained performance that feels authentic to what real victims experience. There are moments in which Daryl lashes out in anger when he feels like no one is listening to him. However, these feel like realistic breaks in his charisma, rather than overindulgent scenes intended to emotionally manipulate the audience. Additionally, Keaton’s inherent humorous abilities actually proved to be one of the film’s best attributes. Daryl is a character who uses off-color remarks as a coping mechanism, as he is much more willing to be the butt of a joke than he is opening up. It’s only after learning that there are others who have found themselves in the same position that he is in that Daryl is willing to take himself seriously enough to be honest.

Clean and Sober explores many parts of the rehabilitation process that are looked over in other drama films, including the intimate bond between those who go through the journey together. The irony of being in a rehabilitation center where his identity is anonymous is that Daryl is able to connect with people of different socio-economic backgrounds that he never would have interacted with otherwise; he emerges from his recovery period as a more enlightened, sensitive, and self-aware person. That being said, Clean and Sober never suggests that the recovery process is something that can end abruptly; even after making positive steps forward, Daryl is still going to be wrestling with his addiction trauma for the rest of his life. The ambiguous way the film concludes may not have gone down easy with audiences in 1988, but it certainly helped Clean and Sober age well when compared to other projects about the same subject.

'Clean and Sober' Is One of Michael Keaton's Most Underrated Films

Image via Warner Bros. 

Despite having Ron Howard attached as a producer, Clean and Sober was sadly not the cultural touchstone that it should have been, and failed to earn any serious award season traction for Keaton’s performance. Although he certainly didn’t need to worry about being forgotten as soon as his collaboration with Tim Burton changed his career, Keaton has always worked on smaller projects about important issues in between his blockbuster roles. Between the powerful 9/11 drama Worth, the highly entertaining capitalist satireThe Founder, and a standout supporting role in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Keaton has notably been able to use his smaller films as a form of activism.

Clean and Sober is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.

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