--- title: "The Lost Weekend: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Lost Weekend (1945): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 13 reviews: 12 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics take The Lost Weekend for what it set out to be: a frank, unglamorous account of alcoholism made at a time when Hollywood rarely went near the subject. The praise gathers around Ray Milland, whose performance as the writer on a binge is called convincing, forceful and sympathetic across seven decades of reviews, and around Billy Wilder’s direction, which several critics credit with putting the audience inside the drinker’s head, through the camerawork, the hallucination sequences and the theremin score. The reservations are about the ending. Time Out finds it unconvincing and blames the production code, and Slant Magazine, the one mixed voice, thinks the code’s concessions and a self-conscious presentation leave the film stodgy, for all its lurid style. The Guardian notes that it is less bleak than the novel. The spread is narrow otherwise: everything else sits at good or better, and the older reviews, from 1945, are if anything warmer than the recent ones. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 2007. The film offers a painfully sincere and uncompromising look at alcoholism for its 1945 release, anchored by Ray Milland's career-best performance as the writer descending into a binge. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lost-weekend-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2023. The critic calls it one of the best pieces of picture-making Hollywood has produced in years, praising the writing, directing, and Ray Milland's terrific, believable lead performance as a tour de force. Some weaknesses are noted in the ending and one piece of casting. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-lost-weekend-review-billy-wilder-movie-1945-1235684310/) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 November 1945. The film version is every bit as impressive a tour de force as the novel, with taut suspense and Ray Milland conveying overwhelming realism as the anguished protagonist. Most episodes from the book are faithfully included, supported by excellent performances from the cast and strong work by Wilder and Brackett. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1945/12/01/very-rare-vintage) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 1945. The film is a shatteringly realistic and morbidly fascinating study of alcoholism that ranks among the best character studies on screen. It succeeds as an objective, graphic report of a drunkard's misery thanks to strong direction and Ray Milland's splendid performance. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1945/12/03/archives/the-screen-the-lost-weekend-in-which-ray-milland-presents-a-study.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Edwin Schallert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 1945. The curse of drink is vividly depicted in this modern, scientific melodrama about alcoholism, replete with horrors up to the DTs. Milland gives a forceful performance that arouses sympathy, though the film is stark and violent compared to the book. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-09-07/from-the-archives-lost-weekend-violent-stark-study-of-alcoholic) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 August 2012. The film is an uncompromising depiction of alcoholism's lies, self-deception and degradation, confronting the need for abstinence, though ultimately less bleak than the source novel. Exceptional support comes from Jane Wyman and Howard Da Silva, with Ray Milland delivering an Oscar-winning performance. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/12/lost-weekend-philip-french-classic) ## Time Out — TM Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic describes the film as a grim, gripping account of an alcoholic writer's descent into hell. Wilder is praised for his masterful use of camerawork to depict both the harsh reality of New York and the protagonist's inner turmoil, though the production-code-mandated ending is called unconvincing. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-lost-weekend) ## Variety — Kahn Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 1945. The psychiatric study of an alcoholic is an unusual, intense, morbid and thrilling picture that intelligently dissects a rampant social evil. It required courage to make and should succeed via word-of-mouth despite lacking laughs or conventional entertainment. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1945/film/reviews/the-lost-weekend-2-1200414610/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2020. The review finds the Oscar-winning film a pioneering but somewhat stodgy exploration of alcoholism whose self-conscious presentation and Hays Code concessions limit it, while praising Wilder's lurid noir style and the neorealistic sequences that capture addiction's hellish pull. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-lost-weekend-blu-ray-review-billy-wilder/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating [A]. 27 March 2012. The piece frames the film as a powerful, ahead-of-its-time portrait of addiction that shocked audiences and won major awards. It praises Ray Milland's revelatory performance and Wilder's innovative use of hallucinatory techniques and scoring. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-films-of-billy-wilder-a-retrospective-20120327/2/) ## Collider — Thomas Butt Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2025. The critic calls the film one of the most powerful portrayals of addiction and praises its nuanced treatment that has aged well. They single out Ray Milland's emotionally rich performance and Wilder's decision to depict the condition as mundane rather than glamorous. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-lost-weekend-movie-addiction-billy-wilder/) ## The Skinny — Keir Roper-Caldbeck Rating ★★★★. 22 June 2012. The critic praises Billy Wilder's artful direction and the theremin-heavy soundtrack for immersing viewers in the alcoholic's mind. Ray Milland's convincing lead performance and a standout cameo are singled out for gripping attention. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-lost-weekend) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2012. The critic highlights the film's groundbreaking depiction of alcoholism and its path to release despite industry pushback. Ray Milland's intense lead performance and Wilder's blend of drama and stylistic flair are singled out as the film's core strengths. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-lost-weekend-1945-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-lost-weekend.md