Be forewarned, as has been stated, this is not a mystery. Wikipedia got it wrong. It's more of a shaggy-dog narrative about a man who is confronted with the truth about himself and has to decide if he's going to keep going down one path, or become a man and do the right thing.

I guarantee you Zemeckis' dick got hard when he read the plane crash sequence in the script, because that effects-driven section of the film is right in his wheelhouse, and it's pulled off expertly.

The rest of the movie is not that. Depending on your cup of tea, you may find that intriguing, or annoying. "The plot" isn't really the thing, here. There's no intense mystery to try to figure out what happened on the plane. Yes, some stuff happens relating to the crash, and Denzel has to keep himself clean long enough to be prepared by Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood for an NTSB hearing that will determine his ultimate fate. But the main story is about this seriously flawed man and whether or not he can turn himself around, and if he does, how that turnaround affects others.

Denzel might as well sober up himself (I guess?) and get ready for another night at the Oscars. Cheadle and Greenwood were okay. I thought that Kelly Riley was good as the junkie who gets involved with Denzel, but honestly, I didn't care about her story. This movie is all about Denzel's character, and while I understand why she's there (collateral damage in the face of Whip's self-destruction), I didn't know if she was really necessary...

This is a writer's movie. There are monologues in this film. There is no interest in getting to the next plot point here. For example, there is a monologue by a cancer patient that you don't see again that is particularly effective. This is a very personal story for the writer, John Gatins, and so he wanted to say his piece about addiction and how it affects others, and kudos to him, Denzel, Zemeckis, and Paramount for making this movie in that regard.

It doesn't quite work. The length really wasn't the problem
(2:18), nor was the fact that "nothing happens." I think it just felt like Denzel's part was the most completely-written of everyone's in the film, and so his subsequent performance outshines everyone else's by miles.

That said, whenever John Goodman's on screen, the movie's tone brightens considerably. He is awesome.

I liked it, but I think I admired it a whole lot more than I loved it, and that's okay.

Also, if you've always wondered how Nadine "Catalina from My Name is Earl" Velasquez looked naked, be sure to not miss the first 3 minutes.

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WORLD STAR IN THIS BITCH!!!! WORLD STAR IN THIS BITCH!!!!