The Lost Weekend
A tormented writer's desperate attempt to stay sober collapses into a harrowing weekend of addiction, paranoia, and possible redemption.
Overview
A gripping exploration of addiction and desperation unfolds over a long weekend.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- bleak
- harrowing
- brooding
- classic cinema night
- serious drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Billy Wilder's unflinching alcoholism drama as a powerful, intelligent, landmark work anchored by Ray Milland's performance, despite some dated impact and deliberate theatricality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Don Birnam's four-day bender progressively governs his choices, relationships, movements, and perception.
New York streets, bars, and institutional spaces are filmed as oppressive environments surrounding Don's collapse.
Flashbacks reveal earlier failures and damaged relationships caused by Don's drinking during the current weekend.
The film presents alcoholism, delirium, recovery, and institutional treatment as central lived realities rather than sensational subplot material.
Films like The Lost Weekend, and why
The Man with the Golden Arm
shared film noir atmosphere, moral deterioration, urban alienation, and psychologically intense addiction drama
Days of Wine and Roses
shared postwar American setting, bleak social realism, alcoholism, and compassionate examination of personal collapse
Nightmare Alley
shared film noir visual language, destructive compulsion, paranoia, and a protagonist trapped by self-sabotage
Sunset Boulevard
shared Billy Wilder authorship, sharp dramatic writing, cynical humor, and emotionally corrosive adult relationships
Movie Details
- Director
- Billy Wilder
- Release Date
- 1945-11-29
- Runtime
- 101 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (689)
Cast
- Ray Milland
- Jane Wyman
- Phillip Terry
- Howard Da Silva
- Doris Dowling
- Frank Faylen
- Mary Young
- Anita Sharp-Bolster
- Lilian Fontaine
- Frank Orth
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- 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 Lost Weekend about?
- A tormented writer's desperate attempt to stay sober collapses into a harrowing weekend of addiction, paranoia, and possible redemption.
- What is The Lost Weekend like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Lost Weekend as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Lost Weekend violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Lost Weekend as mild.
- What did critics think of The Lost Weekend?
- Critics broadly regard Billy Wilder's unflinching alcoholism drama as a powerful, intelligent, landmark work anchored by Ray Milland's performance, despite some dated impact and deliberate theatricality.
- Which films are like The Lost Weekend?
- Films with a similar feel include The Man with the Golden Arm, Days of Wine and Roses, Nightmare Alley, and Sunset Boulevard.
- How long is The Lost Weekend?
- The Lost Weekend runs 101 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Lost Weekend?
- In United States, The Lost Weekend is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
