5 Great Film Portrayals of Addiction

Ashlee Stumpf, LPC

Being a mental health worker and movie lover can be difficult. This is mostly because Hollywood is typically more preoccupied with telling a story than accurately portraying how addiction can impact those addicted and their relationships. Too often, characters with substance use problems are defined solely by their addiction, ignoring the many experiences, emotions, and complexities that make them human. Therefore, when I view a film which accurately shows people dealing with addiction, I take notice.

Here are five films that offer particularly insightful and realistic portrayals of addiction:

6 Balloons (2018)

6 Balloons (2018) follows adult siblings as a sister, played by Abbi Jacobson, searches for a detox center for her brother (Dave Franco), who struggles with heroin addiction. Unlike many movies surrounding addiction, the protagonist is the non-addicted sister. The line between enabling and supporting is brought up quite a lot in this film, which is something family and friends of people with addictions constantly struggle over. Jacobson’s character clearly loves her brother and wants to help, but Franco’s character isn’t always receptive to her help and at times she risks alienating herself from other relationships. The film effectively shows that there are no simple solutions to addiction, whether the struggle is your own or someone else’s.

Smashed (2012)

Smashed (2012) stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an elementary school teacher struggling with alcohol use disorder. She is married to Charlie (Aaron Paul) and their relationship mostly revolves around drinking, but when something happens at Winstead’s school she decides she wants to stop. Not only does this movie show the atypical view of a woman getting sober, but it also looks at how her sobriety changes the dynamic of her marriage. Paul’s character loves his wife but has no interest in quitting himself. Can a marriage survive when only one partner is sober? Can a partner support sobriety while continuing to drink? How do couples navigate shifting priorities and lifestyle changes? Smashed thoughtfully examines these challenges, sparking meaningful conversations about addiction and relationships.

Shattered Spirits (1986)

Shattered Spirits (1986) follows a father of three, played by Martin Sheen, who struggles with alcohol addiction. The movie shows how his substance use has shaped the family dynamic, including his wife enabling him, a daughter trying to be the perfect child to take away any burden, one son rebelling from a lack of structure, and another son retreating into his own world so as to not to have to deal with the reality of his home life. What sets this film apart from other films about addiction is its focus on how a family can be affected, instead of an individual. There are scenes of the whole family in counseling. The impact on each family member is explored. The film emphasizes that sobriety and meaningful change are processes requiring involvement and support from the whole family, not just the person battling addiction.

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

You might not expect a film from the 1950s to offer meaningful insight into addiction, but this Frank Sinatra-led movie does just that. Sinatra plays Frankie Machine, the best illegal card dealer around who has just returned from a prison drug rehabilitation program. Now clean, Frankie wants to stay sober, but his friends and environment are not supportive. Despite being in black and white, some struggles still ring true: difficulties staying sober without support or aftercare, drug dealers continuously offering free samples, and the overall obstacle of transferring from a controlled environment, like a rehab, to an uncontrolled reality. While some old Hollywood conventions appear, such as never explicitly naming Frankie’s drug of choice, the movie succeeds in portraying the difficulties of maintaining sobriety in an unsupportive environment.

Brittney Runs a Marathon (2019)

While not about an addiction to a substance, the main character Brittney (Jillian Bell) has a habit of indulging in an unhealthy lifestyle to avoid taking accountability for herself. That being a reason many people start using substances. In the film, Brittney is a partygoer with low self-esteem, body issues, and feels as if her life is not going anywhere. When challenged by her doctor to get healthier Brittney begins jogging and eventually decides to (you guessed it) run a marathon. To reach her goal, Bell’s character has to change her lifestyle and beliefs about herself. Although the film isn’t technically about addiction, it parallels the recovery process, highlighting the difficulty of making lasting change, the value of a supportive network, and the challenge of believing you deserve help and care.

While in no way a complete list, these are five films which demonstrate the complexity of addiction. Feel free to watch any of them and give your opinion. Or give a recommendation of a movie you believe accurately shows what it is like to have a substance use disorder.  Addiction affects each person differently, and these movies highlight the many ways it can impact individuals and those around them.

For guidance or support, share your insights or reach out to Symmetry Counseling to learn how therapy can help.