Although not for everybody, this film gives us insight into the struggles of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob the founders of AA. I think the acting was excellent. The characters were portrayed wonderfully by James Woods and James Garner. I learned a lot from this film and would recommend it to anybody who is involved in a 12 step program or works with recovery.

This is a very moving story. If you or anyone you know has a problem with addictiion. It helps you to realy understand what AA is all about.

As a recovering person of 21 years, the movie helped me get in touch with so many feelings. Mostly gratitude for what I have but also the feelings of hopelessness, shame, and despair. So very close to Bill's Story in the Big Book. I use it to show new people in recovery how it all started.

Some AA members consider this movie a valuable asset. I found it shallow. It was a pathetic Hollywood attempt to review the lives of those who began the search for an alternative to hospitalization and death for alcoholics. It was a nice try, but it didn't work, and the way it ended was like diving off a board into a dry pool.

James Woods won the 1989 best-actor Emmy for his performance in this film about the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. The film received six other nominations, as well. So, beyond its value as a fascinating look at the origins of one of the most important spiritual movements of the 20th Century -- it's simply good movie making!

But there's a lot more to learn in exploring the roots of Alcoholics Anonymous. Once thought of as isolated from the realm of religion -- scholars of religious movements now regard the founding of AA with its reliance on a "Higher Power" as a major milestone in the evolution of American spiritual movements. This is especially true in newer books like Phyllis Tickle's "Great Emergence, The: How Christianity Is Changing and Why (emersion: Emergent Village resources for communities of faith)" Tickle argues that "AA opened the floodgates to spirituality by removing the confines of organized religion."

Think about its influence for a moment. Here is a massive national network formed around essentially spiritual principles that cut across religious boundaries -- and even manages to include non-religious people who define "Higher Power" in other ways. The movement was founded and grew with great success -- not as a branch of some traditional religious group -- but as a new way of bringing people together and organizing their reflections.

The movie's a great discussion-starter for groups.