Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- brooding
- paranoid
- self-conscious
- late night viewing
- true crime marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film stylistically overwrought, tedious, and shambolic despite its attempt at psychological profundity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Stephen transforms the Hans Reiser murder trial and his tenuous connection to Sean Sturgeon into a personal chronicle.
Stephen's father issues and childhood traumas drive his depressive self-examination and unstable behavior.
The plot combines the murder trial, substance abuse, relationship problems, BDSM social connections, and intrusive personal history in a scattered structure.
Stephen is stymied by past success and writer's block while abusing substances and obsessively documenting the trial.
Films like The Adderall Diaries, and why
The Snowman
shared literary crime investigation, troubled protagonists, psychological instability, and morally murky drama
Zodiac
shared true-crime obsession, unreliable self-investigation, bleak psychological tension, and writer-centered perspective
The Basketball Diaries
shared autobiographical self-examination, substance abuse, damaged family relationships, and fragmented psychological drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Pamela Romanowsky
- Release Date
- 2016-04-15
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 5.3 / 10 (226)
Cast
- James Franco
- Amber Heard
- Ed Harris
- Christian Slater
- Wilmer Valderrama
- Jim Parrack
- Cynthia Nixon
- Michael Cristofer
- Danny Flaherty
- Timothée Chalamet
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Adderall Diaries about?
- A self-destructive writer turns a sensational murder trial and his own unresolved trauma into an unstable search for meaning.
- What is The Adderall Diaries like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Adderall Diaries as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Adderall Diaries violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Adderall Diaries as mild.
- What did critics think of The Adderall Diaries?
- Critics broadly found the film stylistically overwrought, tedious, and shambolic despite its attempt at psychological profundity.
- Which films are like The Adderall Diaries?
- Films with a similar feel include The Snowman, Zodiac, and The Basketball Diaries.
- How long is The Adderall Diaries?
- The Adderall Diaries runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Adderall Diaries?
- In United States, The Adderall Diaries is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
