It is hard to watch.
That is the first thing you need to know about Four Good Days. If you are looking for a lighthearted evening or a mindless flick to pair with popcorn, this isn't it. Honestly, it's brutal. Based on a true story originally detailed in a 2016 Washington Post article by Eli Saslow, the film follows Molly, a young woman who has been hollowed out by a decade of opioid abuse. She shows up on her mother’s doorstep looking like a ghost—skin picked raw, teeth rotting, and a desperate plea for one last chance at detox.
What makes four days the movie so different from the standard "after-school special" version of addiction is the sheer, grinding exhaustion of it all. This isn't just about the "high." It is about the math.
The title refers to the window of time Molly (played by Mila Kunis) has to stay clean before she can receive an antagonist injection that blocks the effects of opioids. If she uses even once during those four days, the shot could kill her. If she doesn't get the shot, she will almost certainly relapse. It’s a high-stakes waiting game that feels less like a movie plot and more like a hostage situation.
The Glenn Close and Mila Kunis Dynamic
You've seen Glenn Close play intense characters before, but as Deb, she captures a very specific type of "mother of an addict" fatigue. She isn't the weeping, enabling parent we usually see in cinema. She’s hardened. She has changed the locks. She has heard every lie in the book.
When Molly screams that she’s changed, Deb’s face doesn't show hope; it shows a calculated, defensive skepticism. It’s a masterclass in nuanced acting. Kunis, meanwhile, underwent a massive physical transformation. She lost a significant amount of weight and spent hours in the makeup chair to look like someone whose body is literally failing them.
But the physical stuff is just window dressing. The real meat is in the dialogue.
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The script doesn't rely on grand speeches. It relies on the small, petty arguments over a missing $20 bill or the way Molly looks at her children—kids she basically abandoned. It’s a movie about the wreckage left behind. Most films focus on the "rock bottom" moment. This film focuses on the Tuesday afternoon after rock bottom, where you're just trying to figure out how to take a shower without wanting to die.
Realism vs. Hollywood Tropes
Most people get this movie wrong by thinking it’s a "recovery film." It’s actually a "survival film."
Director Rodrigo García avoids the typical cinematic pitfalls. Usually, these stories have a clear villain—the dealer, the bad boyfriend, the traumatic childhood. In four days the movie, the villain is just chemistry. It is the way Molly's brain has been rewired to prioritize a chemical over her own survival.
Eli Saslow, the journalist who wrote the original piece "How’s Amanda? A Story of Truth, Lies and an American Addiction," worked on the screenplay. This is why it feels so grounded. The real-life Amanda Wendler, whom Molly is based on, has been vocal about how accurately the film portrays the "revolving door" of rehab.
The medical reality is also shockingly accurate. The drug in question, Naltrexone (often branded as Vivitrol), requires that 3-to-5-day window of total abstinence. If you have opioids in your system when you take it, you go into precipitated withdrawal. It’s a level of physical agony that most humans can't comprehend. The movie treats this medical hurdle like a ticking time bomb.
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The Controversy of the Ending
Let’s talk about that ending. Without spoiling the specifics, it doesn't give you the clean, tied-with-a-bow resolution you might want. Some critics hated it. They felt it was too bleak or perhaps too sudden.
But talk to anyone in the recovery community. They’ll tell you that "happily ever after" doesn't exist in the world of heroin and fentanyl. There is only "today was okay." By refusing to provide a perfect ending, the film honors the millions of families still stuck in the middle of the cycle.
It’s messy. It’s frustrating. It makes you want to yell at the screen.
Why the 2016 Article Still Matters Today
When Saslow first wrote about Amanda and Libbie (the real-life mother and daughter), the opioid crisis was hitting a fever pitch. Years later, looking at four days the movie, the landscape has somehow gotten worse with the prevalence of synthetic fentanyl.
The film serves as a time capsule of a specific moment in the crisis, but its emotional core is timeless. It’s about the boundary between love and self-preservation. How many times can you let someone back into your house when they’ve stolen everything that wasn't nailed down? Deb’s struggle is the struggle of every parent who has had to practice "tough love" while wondering if that choice will be the one that kills their child.
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Key Insights for Families Navigating Addiction
Watching this film can be a form of catharsis, but it can also be a trigger. If you are watching this because you are living it, here are a few things to keep in mind regarding the portrayal of the "four days":
- Medical Supervision is Non-Negotiable: The film shows Molly detoxing at home under her mother's watch. In reality, medical professionals almost always recommend a clinical setting for detox to manage the risk of seizures or dehydration.
- The "Shot" Isn't a Cure: While the injection portrayed in the movie is a powerful tool, experts like those at SAMHSA emphasize that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) only works when paired with long-term counseling and a support system.
- Boundaries Save Lives: The character of Deb shows that setting hard boundaries isn't "mean"—it's often the only way to keep the family unit from collapsing entirely.
The movie isn't a "how-to" guide. It’s a "how it is" story. It doesn't sugarcoat the manipulation. It doesn't make the addict a saintly victim. Molly is often manipulative and cruel. She lies even when she doesn't have to. That’s the reality of the disease, and seeing it on screen is both horrifying and deeply validating for those who have lived it.
Practical Steps After Watching
If four days the movie left you feeling overwhelmed or looking for ways to help someone in your life, start by looking into local harm reduction resources. This isn't just about rehab; it's about staying alive long enough to get to rehab.
- Get Naloxone (Narcan): In many places, you can get this at a pharmacy without a prescription. It reverses overdoses. It's the bare minimum for safety.
- Look for Support Groups: Organizations like Al-Anon or Nar-Anon are specifically for the "Debs" of the world—the family members who are exhausted by the cycle.
- Read the Original Reporting: Find Eli Saslow’s original article in the Washington Post. It provides a deeper look into the real Amanda’s journey, which continues long after the credits roll.
- Educate on MAT: Learn about Naltrexone and Buprenorphine. Understanding the science helps remove the stigma that these medications are "just replacing one drug with another."
The film reminds us that recovery isn't a single event. It’s a series of brutal, mundane decisions made every single hour. It’s about surviving the next four days, and then the four days after that.