16 Years of Alcohol

Although this Scottish drama is inspired by the tumultuous real-life experiences of filmmaker Richard Jobson's brother, it nonetheless feels derivative of fictional films such as Trainspotting, A Clockwork Orange, and even The Lost Weekend and Clean and Sober. Traumatized by his father's infidelity, a young Edinburgh lad falls in with a vicious street gang, embarking on a life of violence drowned in alcohol. As an adult, he attempts to straighten up, tries his hand at acting, and even finds love, but his newly rehabilitated state is decidedly fragile. Jobson, the lead vocalist with the punk band The Skids, makes his directing debut here (he produced three earlier films and was a critic before that). Although autobiographical, 16 Years of Alcohol nevertheless feels artificial and contrived--the characters come across as caricatures, and the central figure (Iain De Caestecker as a youth, Kevin McKidd as an adult) is never compelling enough to warrant in-depth concern, let alone emotional attachment (and the Scottish accents are also a bit thick). The film is well-intentioned, to be certain, and clearly well-made (with special kudos to John Rhodes' cinematography), but this is ultimately the cinematic equivalent of a watered-down half-glass of whiskey. Not recommended. (P. Hall)