A Million Little Pieces

Although it had moments of gritty, hard hitting realism that portrayed the gruesome clutches of addiction, the film as a whole lacked a sense of impact or direction. The ending felt as though the darkest moment of the film had been completely glossed over, lacking the trauma response required to make it impactful. Additionally, the lack of exposition creates an unrelatable protagonist, characterised only through his swaggering, aggressive demeanour that lacks much of the nuanced presentation of anything deeper. The cinematography is, for the most part, artistic and engaging, and Taylor Johnson's performance is convincing, yet the full product feels a little underwhelming due to our lack of care for his character.

It gets two stars because the message of recovery is nice. But it often felt like it was lacking back story for the character. But I can't say I'm surprised. A movie about addiction made from a book that was sold as a memoir that was actually largely fiction. Delusions of grandeur that turned traffick stops into hit and runs and fabricated whole events then told through the telephone game. I try not to hold it against the actors, but my mom actually went to highschool with James Fry and was pretty pissed when the book came out because who he claimed to be was vastly different than what he was actually like.

Incredibly disappointed with this movie after just reading the book, I couldn't even get halfway through it. Major details were altered, such as the color of Lily's hair, James' injuries, and important interactions that shape the character as he arrives in the clinic, etc. I understand that this is a Hollywood movie, but if you're going to make a movie based on a memoir, then you should try to be as accurate in your interpretation as you can, especially within a topic as fragile as addiction. Felt as though the physical appearance of James was what was being propelled rather than the story of his addiction and recovery. Literally reminded me of a Hollywood movie James watches in the clinic and makes fun of because of how bullshit it is. Genuinely disappointed and feel as though my time has been wasted, fuck you Sam Taylor-Johnson.

Big fan of addiction-struggle movie here, but the story poorly inspires me. Hate to rate this with 2/5, since Aaron Taylor-Johnson's dedication to this movie is so amazing.

A quiet, handsome, uneventful film which failed to grab my attention past the first scene. Characters are remarkable only for their lacklustre adherence to cliche in lieu of personality. The lead actor looks less a moribund addict than a model undergoing a particularly rough bout of hayfever. Truly pointless.

While maybe not always completely successful in conveying its important message, this work wears its heart on its sleeve. At times it's a hard watch, with some slightly over the top details but offers important considerations to all those booked in for serious detox treatment; A: Think seriously about all the challenges, regardless of your biased beliefs. B: Remember, others before you, have overcome their petty and physical opposition towards the cures outlined stages, and gone on to win the battle – give up and you're lost. Good performances manage to keep it on target and it's always interesting to see Australian Odessa Young on screen (even though here quite bleak) The co-writing and direction by the co-writer/lead performer's brother is competent and the two eventually manage to make us feel for the subject. Between the above-average cinematography, there's also a hard-working soundtrack helping to move it along. A couple of early, overindulged scenes finally give way to serious outcomes – even if not all as fully desired. Note: Heavy language, nudity, drug use.

A histrionic, self indulgent and ultimately sentimental film which replaces the genuine drama inherent in recovery from addiction with fake drama at every turn. Totally unbelievable and unlikeable.

I thought it was brilliant. A story often told, but the authenticity makes it compelling. Odessa Young and Aaron Taylor-Johnson stun with their committed and outstanding performances. The direction, photography and score meld into something quite extraordinary. It has its faults, but it does connect emotionally. Crits looking for the usual panto-veneer wrapped 3 acts with kaboom plot points fail to see the artistry of this character-driven film. Instead, comments suggest many have a problem with the difficulty of the subject matter or the story provenance ... why? The French will probably rate it highly ... and I will look out for any work that this creative team put their efforts into.

A sad story, done okay. I just couldn't get into it though. I think part of that, for me, was being impatient with the addicted main character. I know I shouldn't, but I have little patience for people doing stupid things to themselves.

Excellent performances from Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Giovanni Ribisi and Charlie Hunnam. Great Direction from Sam Taylor-Johnson.