Reintroducing Charlie
Exploring the life of actor Charlie Sheen through a new Netflix documentary.
The name “Charlie Sheen” is synonymous with sex, booze and drugs. There weren’t that many differences between his character on the CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men, Charlie Harper, who was a rich jingle writer, whose personal life was based on perpetual hedonism. Some have dismissed Sheen as a total train wreck but, in my experience, humans are far too complex to be definitively defined as the lost cause. As long as they’re alive, there’s always a possibility of being, however imperfect it may be. Charlie Sheen’s proof of that, and a new Netflix documentary, aka Charlie Sheen explores Sheen’s life as well as the insanity of addiction.
Director Andrew Renzi offers more than a glimpse into Sheen’s life. Or put another way, Sheen opens up to tell the world about his self-inflicted problems but this opening is never narcissistic, and it evades any notion of voyeurism on the audience’s part. Instead, one feels as if having a conversation with Sheen, and while the film may have moments of confession, it doesn’t get in the way of understanding Sheen (as much as that’s possible).
Among Sheen’s telling of his story, we see interviews with many people in his life: family members, ex-wives, friends, and his children. Almost all of Sheen’s life events are intertwined with substance abuse, his own or someone else’s. What’s particularly interesting is seeing Martin Sheen’s alcoholism (especially during the production of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 film, Apocalypse Now), and what kind of effect this had on young Charlie. Martin Sheen credits Charlie for helping him during that time quit alcohol, which created a bond between father and son.
Renzi makes use of footage from Charlie Sheen’s hedonistic escapades. The public knows about them since it was plastered all over the news, as well as falling out with the producers of Two and a Half Men. Sheen doesn’t mince words, and doesn’t try to absolve himself of any guilt as well as the pain he caused so many people. New revelations come out as well, particularly in relation to his HIV-positive diagnosis.
But all of that hedonism is strangely peripheral. What we see is a portrait of a man and the Estevez/Sheen family.
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