Loved this film albeit I watched it in the midst of my depression and also dealing with my own alcoholism.
Can definitely see the criticisms for the film, but as a whole I'd say this is worth a watch. Doesn't deviate too much from your typical redemption stories, but I did love how Van Sant handled the subject.
What I especially appreciated was how easily Van Sant skipped between different periods in the protagonists life. Others would've struggled to keep the story coherent, but Van Sant kept a smooth narration while weaving between the AA meetings, seminar, and other events from the past and present. Can't help but to think about the concept of time, how our past present and future are always changing, interwoven into one another and maybe even coexist with one another.
Joaquin da GAWD did a great job too.