Butler's Cinema Scene

“FOUR GOOD DAYS” My rating: B+

110 minutes | MPAA rating: R

Any more it takes something special for a drug addiction drama to ring my bell. A pall of been-there-done-that hovers over the entire genre.

“Four Good Days” has a premise I’ve never seen before. Plus it’s a prime example of mano-a-mano acting from the fierce duo of Glenn Close (whom we’ve come to expect for this sort of thing) and Mila Kunis (whom we haven’t).

And it’s the latest from writer/director Rodrigo Garcia, a genius of cinematic humanism who gets my vote as creator of the best films nobody has seen (“Nine Lives,” “Mother and Child”).

Suburban housewife Deb (Glenn Close) is angry and distressed to find her thirtysomethibng daughter Molly (Mila Kunis) on her doorstep.

Molly is a junkie. Her trips to rehab number in the double digits. On previous visits Molly has burgled Deb and her husband Chris (Stephen Root) to buy drugs. She just can’t stay sober.

Deb refuses to open the door. She’s been burned too many times. She still loves her daughter, but experience has taught her to steer clear if she values her sanity.

Trouble is, next morning Molly is still perched on the stoop. Moreover, she claims to be in line for a medication that neutralizes the effects of narcotics. With no high, what would be the point of shooting up?

But there’s a catch. The wonder drug reacts violently — possibly fatally — to any narcotics in the user’s body.

Which means that after spending three days in rehab to qualify for the program, Molly must remain clean for the next four days before getting her first dose.

Can she do it?

Deb is doubtful. But she’s a mother after all, which is to say that her sense of hope outweighs common sense. Shrugging off Chris’ warnings, she invites Molly to move into her old room and get clean. Withdrawl isn’t pretty, but these two have been there several times before.

“Four Good Days” is told largely from Deb’s point of view. She examines her daughter’s every gesture and comment for signs of backsliding. She fervently hopes Molly is serious about getting clean, but doubtful that after a lifetime of failures her kid will finally see things through.

About halfway through, though, the screenplay by Garcia and Eli Saslow shifts its sympathies to Molly. Going straight means being reunited with her own child, who mostly has been raised by her ex.

Moreover, Kunis’ physical transformation — Molly looks like a walking corpse and talks with her hand in front of her mouth because she’s lost most of her teeth — is excruciating. She radiates shame and desperation.

By giving Molly a timetable for recovery, “Four Good Days” sets a tangible goal and notes Molly’s every step toward and retreat from sobriety.

Plus the setup allows its leading ladies to work their way through just about every human emotion.

| Robert W. Butler