VividSimon Simply Perfect

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

hobbyhob It was like listening to a bad AA or NA speaker, that is to say, someone who spends 97% of their time telling what is was like, and somewhat glorifying (as best one can) the so-called "high times" while spending only 3% of their time focusing on the solution and how truly life changing recovery can be when one puts as much effort into it as they did getting high.That said, it was like a car wreck that you don't want to see, but from which you simply cannot avert your eyes. Which is why I rated it as I did - had it not held me I'd have scored it much more harshly. Rarely have I seen a person so far afield from the concept of personal responsibility, which I realize is not the typical strong suit of your average addict, but I've known far more than my fair share of alkies and addicts, and this poor guy just seemed to feel that life/the employer/the wife/anyone close at hand was doing it to him! And I literally screamed at the set at one point where his son is terrified and sobbing "WILL YOU PLEASE give that poor child a hug?!!??!?" There is no doubt that the insanity that is addiction was accurately portrayed, but it was a bit much to take for the majority of the documentary. And did the wife EVER once go to Al Anon/Narc Anon? That made me want to pull my hair out as well, that she was helping him stay sick and cluelessly allowing herself to be miserable in the process.All in all, I'd recommend it, but brace yourself. I kind of let it blind side me a bit, I suppose. And it was hard to watch. The last 5 to 10 minutes was my favorite part.

lambiepie-2 I too was channel surfing and saw the title 'TV Junkie' on HBO. I stopped and watched this man's life unveil itself as a train wreck right before your eyes in photos and pictures he kept as a diary. Here's the thing: I didn't recognize the name of Rick Kirkham, but I saw almost all of his stories on 'Inside Edition' as I was growing up.Rick Kirkham is one of those guys you sit back and think, "I wonder what happened to...". He was the first set of reporters and commentators on "Inside Edition" when it first came on and eventually turned into the tabloid-mess it is today. (FYI - Bill O'Reilly also was a correspondent during Rick Kirkham's time before even he became what he is today. You'll see him quickly here.) Now, I know what happened to the man, and watching this was bittersweet, depressing, sad, relieved and...hopeful.Make no mistake, Rick had it all. He worked his way through the journalism world from the very bottom up - and landed a plumb role on Inside Edition in it's infancy. But as you watch this tale unfold via his own words and real video and photos, you'll see his downward spiral and decent into drugs and alcohol. Hard core. But did I say decent 'around the time' of Inside Edition? No, it isn't. Watch closely from the beginning and you'll get the point of this film.Again, Rick had EVERYTHING. He scored interviews and hung out with folks we only dreamed of. He was also a dare-devil extrodinaire, racing at the Celebrity Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach (drugged out), scaling mountains of the world (drugged out), confronting devastation of hurricanes (drugged out), etc. He had a lovely home in Texas and a Los Angeles and New York apartments. He had a wife whom I think should get the 'tenacity award of the year'. I would have been long gone.He was grounded with his stories ...and he was a hard core narcissistic drug addict, alcoholic, wife abuser and verbal abuser to his sons. This man had the world, and it wasn't enough to stop the behavior, losing his wife, his sons, his home, his JOB! He was even handed a golden-ticket for another chance with all of this and blew it. This will be the most eye-opening, depressing, sad...and hopeful film of a life you may watch this year.The only problem I have with this is the six year gap that went from total destruction to "clean and sober". This is a man that filmed everything and I would venture to guess that he has those six years of film but for some reason the producers weren't allowed access to it (could be part of the divorce settlement, or he felt these were even worse than what we've seen and he's already 'let out' enough for his sons, et al to be concerned about, or maybe Rick was okay in 2004 but what about ...now?) but there should have been more there to fill that six year gap. There is no way in hell this video junkie left 6 years out of his life, unfilmed or photographed.HBO is running a series on Drug and Alcohol abuse and how it effects families, marriages, schools, teens, children, jobs, etc. There are films, doctors, documentaries, etc. to give you the viewer perspectives. I saw this 'TV Junkie' documentary within that project and it is a must see, whether with the HBO project or on its own. Scared the heck outa me, and I never was a substance abuser. But it showed me how even you or I could have been affected by this man's actions (For example, the 1993 Celebrity Grand Prix footage and his Jeep Ride will have you cringing) and that's pretty moving.

Lauren Randall I have read a review that said he was doing drugs and ruining his family and career for film. Ha. I don't think so buddy. Nobody would go through that kind of hell just for future profit. I think what makes it "look" that way, is his ease in front of the camera. Someone said it was like he was documenting it, but not really living it. Sort of like a disconnection between reality and reporting.But I will say, Kirkham came off in the film as a totally self-centered addict. People who don't have experience with addiction issues (either themselves or with loved ones) will not understand this kind of behavior. That's what addicts are when they are in active addiction. He didn't like the consequences his drug use brought, and when he felt them, he lashed out at his wife, his father, and whoever else was available to blame. It is a hard movie to watch. At some points, I could not believe he was actually filming what was going on. (The cops coming to arrest him, fights with his wife, and his drunken driving and subsequent car wreck.) There are scenes where his young son Ricky was crying and upset over his father's actions. Rick used the camera at one point to document to his son what his "mommy was doing to his daddy." There are times when you just want to grab the camera out of his hands and say "GET SOME HELP!" I can see why some people would not like this film. I myself, was incensed at his self pitying and blaming. As the consequences build, he becomes depressed and suicidal. And then we once again witness him smoking crack and giving up.(Warning spoilers ahead)While watching it, I had this eery feeling that he was going to commit suicide while on camera and that would be the ending. Fortunately, he does not!What is the ending is a bit anti-climactic. We see a scene of him once again getting high, cut to some explanations of what happened in the next 6 years. (His divorce and his recovery.) Bam. Just like that he is clean. This was a bit disappointing, though I'm sure his downward spiral was much more "interesting" then his fight back, so we don't see that part.All in all, I rate it a 5. It's not excellent film making and it's not horrible. Is it narcissistic? Oh yeah. So just be prepared to watch a very self absorbed account of one man's battle with his demons.

michael-1496 I caught the film at it's Sundance Film Festival Premiere where it one a special jury prize. I was blown away by the honesty of Rick Kirkham's video diaries and the non-obtrusive nature of the editing that the director's imposed on the film. It felt like I was watching one uncut take that literally went on for 30 years. There was no emotion forced on the story other than what played out in front of the camera. On the other hand instead of a standard documentary it felt very much like a narrative film with no voice over and very few cards to explain the story. Like life there is no build up of music before a big moment and no slow motion. Life happens and it is over, both the good and the bad in a split second. It is our choices that define our existence. Rick chose never to watch his footage and he never learned from his life, I'm glad we were able to.Interestingly we watched the film again lately with a large group at AFI Fest. The cut was different, tighter and more focused. While I cant tell you what I missed from the earlier cut I do know that a diary where Rick confesses his attempted murder of a family member really spiced up the last few minutes of the film. From what I heard at the Q and A HBO will be showing this in March as part of an 11 part addiction series. If the rest of the series is this good I'll be watching HBO in March.