Contemporary morality play

Rating: 10/10 (5 November 2012)

Anyone who thinks this is a disaster film (something like "Airport") will probably be surprised, and possibly disappointed. The end of the doomed flight is a perfect piece of suspense and tension. But that episode is not the theme of the film.
This film is actually about addiction (including alcoholism), but it is definitely not a sermon. Anyone unfamiliar with the illness may not notice what is being presented--so light is the touch here, and so excellent are the performances. There is an early scene of the dismal effect of addiction, and that is contrasted with a view of someone equally addicted but who is still "functioning." Is substance abuse not really a problem until something horrible happens as a result? Decades ago, Ray Milland won an Oscar for playing an alcoholic in "The Lost Weekend." And then there was "Days of Wine and Roses." There have been harrowing films exploring the depths of drug addiction, and the withdrawal from it. Denzel Washington makes the same point, without having an extended scene of excessive "drunk" behavior. While prior films on the subject had casts and situations which really punched across the message, this film opts for a more subtle message in an interesting story.
For example, when Nicole puts a blanket over Whip and leaves him, rather than helping him to his feet and tucking him in bed. When she is on the porch and Whip takes a quick glance at the book she has with her. Some of us know what she was reading and it's not a Bible).
Note the various contexts of "act of God," and not just as a legal term: such as the members of the church returning daily to the crash site, the meaning that some survivors take from the fact that they survived, the issue of any divine intent behind cancer.
There is also a great paradox in this film. Examine what you wish to happen in the final hearing. Who are you cheering for? The exchange between Whip and Ellen Block (the terrific Melissa Leo), is one of the most powerful scenes in quite some time. Without shouting, antagonism and wild emotions, Denzel and Melissa put it across. That final silent look she gives him has so much in it. I need to see that again.
I won't say anything about the plot except this: anyone who laughs when the second refrigerator is opened has totally missed the point.