Under the Influence

Question 3: How does alcoholism affect this family? Describe how each family member copes with Noah's drinking problem. (2 Paragraphs)

Alcoholism affects the family because they are unpredictable. Promises were broken because they don't remember and rules that applied one day don't the next. Expectations also changed so there was no way to know if that is what they expected out of you and claimed you did everything or a majority of things wrong. The family is also affected because they don't want to talk about the family problems. Children often feel there must be something wrong with them which makes their parents behave this way. Mistrust of others, difficulty with emotional expression, and difficulties with intimate relationships carry over into adulthood. Children of alcoholics are at much higher risk for developing alcoholism than are children of nonalcoholics. Everyone copes with Noah's drinking problem by pretending he is sober and reminds him constantly what he says he will do. His wife copes with it, not by only popping pills, but by reminding him of the past and puts his needs first before anyone else. Ann also carried about her father and continued on finding various ways to please him. Terri would try to be the good kid by cooking and keeping the house tidy while she hoped that he father would stop drinking. Eddie tried to do everything for his dad by getting what he needed, working his tail off at the shop, and go and get his father when he was too drunk to get home. Stephen would cope with it by cracking joke off at the club and basically try to see it as a game.

Question 1: Summarize the movie. Be sure to include all major scenes. (2 Paragraphs)

All of the basic roles of an alcoholic and/or dysfunctional family are portrayed in this film: Alcoholic, Hero, Scapegoat, Mascot, Lost Child, Enabler. This film shows how alcoholism is a family illness and how all family members are affected by it. The film also shows how other family members may develop drug/alcohol problems and also act as enablers no matter what "main" role they play in the family. Andy Griffith and Keanu Reeves along with the rest of the cast do an excellent job in this made for TV film. The movie is based on how a father's drinking problem is affecting his family. They are dysfunctional, but are in denial. The father's losing customers, the mother is popping pills, hoping everything will go away and thing will go back the way they were. The elder son has run off and deals with the problem by airing it in his stand up comedy routine [which is excellent interplayed throughout the movie in a kind of narrative]. The elder daughter still wants daddy's approval and it's causing her marriage to fail. The younger son [played excellently by Keanu Reeves in one of his first feature films] is following in dad's footsteps, but has the willpower to change his ways before he ends up like his dad ~ dead. The younger daughter, a fine artist and sculptress with a promising future, doesn't make a move unless mom and dad approves. The plot is frustrating at time, which it's supposed to be. It does it's job in getting you involved and caring about these people's lives, wanting things to heal. The healing takes place once the father has died. His patriarchal grip binding the family together to the end. Under the Influence has realism, dealing with a very real issue in a real way. It has a great ensemble cast, a great supporting cast.

Question 4: Discuss Annie and her husband's marriage. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Be sure to include how Annie copes with the stresses in her life. Refer to Chapter 3 (p.81) to discuss the defense mechanisms that are used. (1 Paragraph)

Anne and her husband's marriage was rocky. All Anne could think about was work and her family. Now her husband wanted what any guys wants (most of the time) which was a family. Now Anne did not agree with that because she saw herself as a slave then. Strengths was her husband never left her no matter how crazy she was until she slapped him. All her husband wanted then was her to confess that her family had problem. Anne believe her only way to cope with stress was smoking and medication but Anne also strived for being the best at what she did which was working.

Question 5: Using your handout, match each character to a role in a dysfunctional family. There are 4 Children. (You may use bullet points with complete sentences to answer this question)

Eddie- the rebel, the problem child Ann- the lost child, Stephen- the mascot, the mastermind Terri- the good child, the caretaker

Question 2: What makes the Talbot family a dysfunctional family? Use your handout to describe the dysfunctional family. (1 Paragraph)

The Talbot family is a dysfunctional family because everyone believed the husband/father interfered with the family function. Everyone wanted to make sure he was pleased and tried their hardest to impress him thinking that might be a way to get him to stop drinking. Once they realised he was never going to be better that's when people tried popping pill or became obsessive drinkers. Their parents were neglective because they did not feed their children and they would go around thinking that they were a disappointment. With their father being an alcoholic rules did not apply and promises were broken, and others were normally the blame. With the father being an alcoholic Eddie become one also.