Synopsis
When the odds are against you, your best bet is a second chance...
A down-on-his-luck divorced father struggles to get his life and family back together before it's too late.
2005 Directed by Matt Mulhern
A down-on-his-luck divorced father struggles to get his life and family back together before it's too late.
David Schwimmer Janeane Garofalo Judah Friedlander Chance Kelly John Krasinski Susan Lynch Isiah Whitlock Jr. Vincent Riviezzo Steve Schirripa Rachel Covey Josh Flitter Ramya Pratt Jerry Grayson Dick Cavett Bill Buell Brian Tarantina Irma St. Paule Mia Dillon Jim Fyfe Bernie McInerney Sayra Player Jeffery V. Thompson
Il coraggio di cambiare, הימור משפחתי, 杜安·霍普伍德
CREEPIN YOUR FAVO(U)RITES...
If you look at all 4 of his current favourites, fellow user William champions this film and I just had to check it out based on his emphatic but silent glowing recommendation.
UNDERSEEN SEEKER CHALLENGE
Year Released: 2005
As of review date: April 23, 2023
# logs: 342
# reviews: 19
Hidden gem? Yes... In many ways it's better than MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, with a similar tone and environment, but lighter with less background tragedy and trauma.
"I work hard and I pay my bills"
And once, Duane, as a man, it's true that that's all you had to do. Except, trouble is, you now know you can be a better man than that. This is…
Nice little indie drama starring David Schwimmer as Duane Hopwood, an alcoholic floor manager at an Atlantic City casino. His alcoholism has led to the dissolution of his marriage to Linda (Janeane Garofalo), with Linda getting custody of their two young daughters. Problems only get worse after Duane is pulled over drunk driving with one of his daughters in the backseat of the car, resulting in him losing his driver's license. Throughout the movie, Duane's struggles with alcoholism result in big emotions, big relapses, and big embarrassments. The ending is touching and offers a glimmer of hope. Schwimmer, who never really flourished in film, turns in his best effort post-Friends here, and Garofalo is solid as usual. Definitely worth a watch.
I had never heard about DUANE HOPWOOD (2005), which is normally a kind of exciting way to watch a movie, but the FIRST NAME LAST NAME title never inspires confidence. To what could this bland moniker refer? A youth pastor facing a midlife crisis? A down-on-his-luck shlub crafting middling microbrews? Its poster suggests something generically romantic and/or inspirational, either with a riskless indie sensibility (there's a Sundance badge) or a shelved-by-the-studio stench.
What DUANE HOPWOOD is, is that rare indie drama that finally dares to tackle the previously taboo subject of alcoholism. I kid, but only sort of. David Schwimmer plays an Atlantic City casino manager who, reeling from a disintegrated marriage (to bleach blond Janeane Garofalo), takes heavily to…
Such a rewarding experience to see an actor breaking character and yet being able to deliver a sincere,sensitive and heartbreaking performance which touched me on so many levels.
2023 #473
An indie drama about a screw-up dealing with the fact he's a screw-up starring David Schwimmer, Duane Hopwood isn't a slam dunk by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still decent enough.
A huge surprise and hidden gem both Schwimmer and Garofalo are amazing in this .
This movie struck a chord in me that not many movies do .
Might have to watch more Garofalo .
I was really happy with how they resolved everything too because it could have ruined the whole movie if they went another way .
I related to how they ended up very much .
A gloomy watch perhaps, but pretty good nonetheless. Schwimmer was surprisingly versatile as the alcohol dependant dad whose life is falling apart. His addiction to booze is initially presented, but it then goes on the back burner a bit, only coming to more of a focus when his rights to see his children are under threat. It does a really good job, after initially presenting Duane as a douche (and he is), of willing you to like him. Every subsequent mishap he has, is mainly down to that initial act of stupidity. Morally you find yourself, appalled by his early behaviour, but then rooting for him to get it together. The ending is a bit startling really - should we feel pity or empathy or perhaps hope for Duane? It's an emotionally strange climax that really catches you off-guard.
SOLID DRAMA ABOUT AN IMPERFECT MAN AND THE STRUGGLES HE FACES TO BE A FATHER,EX HUSBAND AND MAN...SCHWIMMER IS EXCELLENT.
I love simple movies about realistic tragic stories. Something tells me Duane doesn't have a very happy sober future ahead of him though.
David Schwimmer puts in some of his best work as an alcoholic father struggling with the realities of his lifestyle. Unlike many other alcoholic tales, this film has a sense of realism and subtly that separates it from the crowd. Schwimmer is great as a loving father who has no problem holding down a job. He’s a functional alcoholic whose life turns a corner when he is pulled over for drunk driving and it is discovered there with his youngest daughter is in the back seat. From there things start to unravel. This isn’t a “slap you in the face with the horrifically destructive power of booze” kind of story. Instead it just simply tells the tale of a non-descript,…