This cautionary tale can feel a bit too much like a lesson from an infomercial but the very nice performances more than make up for that.

Sometimes forgetten as a great actor of drama, Lemmon is simply brilliant in this movie. Darkly funny and beautifully shot. Highly recommeded.

A sober film on alcoholism. It starts as a sweet romantic movie but it's not before long that Blake switches towards drama. Jack Lemmon is absolutely perfect, especially during the scenes of his nervous breakdown and Remick is almost equally potent while the script slams the door on almost every cliche you can think of. In conclusion, "DOWAR" is a good film, albeit not something particularly special.

*

A little heavy on the AA propaganda, but Remick is excellent and Lemmon's performance--particularly his breakdown--is absolutely astonishing.

One of the few movies that takes a serious look at alcoholism. Also one of Jack Lemmon's few non-comedic roles.

It’s a little extreme and unbelievable in some parts - it feels like what films about drugs are like today. What really makes this movie special are the performances from Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Lemmon is known as more of a comedic actor, and while he does some of that here, he also shows he’s very capable of conveying real pain and anguish.

Jack Lemmon is phenomenal. Knowing now that he was an alcoholic adds a new dimension to his performance. Lee Remick is also great. The cinematography is nice and you just can't beat that final shot.

Starts out as a tame romantic comedy to soon evolve into a surprisingly bleak and occasionally wrenching drama about alcohol addiction. Lennon reaffirms why he's one of the best actors ever, Remick is also excellent and overall the film manages to balance nicely between all-out melodrama and more quietly observant cautionary tale. It's not amazing, but it packs quite an impact and the fact that it, for the most part, avoids preaching definitely works as an advantage.

i don't think alcoholism is so hard as the film says

Finger wagging violently. I think this could have been a good dark comedy - though I guess an argument could be made for it already being that.

a gross exaggeration of the majority of alcoholics. what could have been better off as an extended story of how they got to a certain point ended up being an overbearing and certainly an overacted visual pamphlet for AA. skip this, even though the ending isn't bad it's a low point for lemmon.

Lemmon and Remick were powerful.

One of the great drunk movies.

So, so depressing. I don't watch movies to feel worse about life.

It's like The Crowd for the twilight years of the '50s; moving from one decade to the next with naked seams ripped to pieces. There's madness and discordance from the very start, if you pay attention; a kind of off-key filmmaking that greatly appeals to me. Sadly it turns into an AA infomercial about half way. Also the "pop" character's unconvincing melodrama taints the otherwise thespian perfection to an extent even Philip H. Lathrop's excellent photography can't quite make up for.

The acting doesn't age well.

My expectations probably influenced me more than usual, I just wanted a fun movie with Lemmon :( [no, I didn't look into this movie at all before watching]. Message movies are mainly boring/one-note, this is no exception, and even the performances don't have much value outside of a few scenes. The first 20 minutes or so were damn good though.

A wrenching story of two ordinary people, who both have become desperate alcoholics. The plot is grim, the acting superb. Powerful and absorbing.