The story of the handful of hope that became a fistful of hell!
A friendly, successful suburban teacher and father grows dangerously addicted to cortisone, resulting in his transformation into a household despot.
- Addiction
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Character
Grave, earnest, classical in form and overwhelming.
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- classical in formformally daring
- cooloverwhelming
- resolvedopen-ended
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Godarayon TMDB · Dec 2012
The movie deals with serious topics pertaining to life and drug abuse. Ed Avery (James Mason) has a serious condition which can only be controlled with cortisone, a still experimental drug leaving consequences in the human psyche. In the movie, Ed is describes as an intelligent, vibrant and happy man. He lives a mediocre, but happy life, he has financial problems just like any other man, and in the start of the movie we can see how much he loves his family, and would do anything for his wifes and sons safety. Then, he becomes addicted to cortisone, and almost everything changes, it leaves a scar which changes their quality of life. As any other addictive prescription drug, he becomes obsessed with having to take it. He even impersonates a doctor in order to get it, his son and wife are deeply affected by his actions, and his son, who has almost gone out of his mind looking at his father grow more and more depressed and vulnerable tries to steal his pills, Ed catches him in the act and leaves his child in the room so that he could contemplate about the level of his punishment, he is then affected with the Bible, exactly , the passage with Abraham and his son Isaac. He gets it into h
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Cast
- James MasonEd Avery
- Barbara RushLou Avery
- Walter MatthauWally Gibbs
- Robert F. SimonDr. Norton
- Christopher OlsenRichie Avery
- Roland WintersDr. Ruric
- Rusty LaneBob LaPorte
- Rachel StephensNurse
- Kipp HamiltonPat Wade
- Betty CaulfieldMrs. LaPorte (uncredited)
Crew
- Nicholas RayDirector
- Richard MaibaumScreenplay
- Cyril HumeScreenplay
- Joseph MacDonaldDirector of Photography
- David RaksinOriginal Music Composer
- Louis R. LoefflerEditor
- James MasonProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
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Lovelace 201388% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
This Boy's Life 199388% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
Boys Don't Cry 199982% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Both grave, earnest, classical in form.
The Basketball Diaries 199580% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
Days of Wine and Roses 196380% alikeBoth earnest, grave, classical in form.
Johnny Belinda 194880% alikeBoth grave, earnest, classical in form.
The Crimson Field 201476% alikeTelevision · Both grave, earnest, classical in form.
Mildred Pierce 201174% alikeTelevision · Both grave, earnest, classical in form.
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