Norman Maine A Star Is Born (1954)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Norman Maine (James Mason) likes a drink – it takes the edge off the pressure of being a jobless movie star.
It all gets particularly messy when wife Vicki (Judy Garland) wins an Oscar – and he drunkenly interrupts her acceptance speech by clambering on-stage…
How It Helps Your Own Life: No-one likes a gatecrasher.
Joe Clay Days Of Wine And Roses (1962)
The Rock Bottom Moment: PR Joe Clay (Jack Lemmon) discovers rock bottom inside his father-in-law’s greenhouse.
Hunting for a bottle of booze he left there, he gets into a right state when he can’t find it, and manages to destroy the entire greenhouse.
How It Helps Your Own Life: Men in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, and all that.
Gary Team America: World Police (2004)
The Rock Bottom Moment: “Get out of the street you fucking bum! You gave up on life didn’t you!”
That’s what a woman shouts from a window at Team America agent/actor Gary, who more than slightly resembles Niagara Falls as he vomits in an alley after drinking away his problems.
How It Helps Your Own Life: Never vomit in an alley. Do it at home in private.
Jerry Stahl Permanent Midnight (1998)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Jerry Stahl (Ben Stiller) wants to be a good dad, but his alcohol reliance all but destroys any prospect of that.
Like his worst moment when he’s arrested after driving around high (and looking to get higher) with the baby in the car.
How It Helps Your Own Life: Never let druggies babysit your kids; especially if you’re married to one.
Ted Ted (2012)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Not only does adorable cuddly toy Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) get kidnapped by redneck idiots, he also gets torn in half and (essentially) killed.
Which is basically rock bottom for both him and buddy John (Mark Wahlberg).
How It Helps Your Own Life: It all works out happily in the end, so – if you get the stuffing knocked out of you, just stuff it back in again.
Brandon Shame (2011)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Sex addict Brandon (Michael Fassbender) gets so desperate for a lay after being denied access to a nightclub that he ends up in a gay bar.
Now don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying ‘going gay’ is rock bottom – but in terms of Brandon’s desperate journey – not to mention that look of hollow despair on his face – we’re definitely in rock bottom territory here.
The scene also leads to that similarly-soul-crushing threesome. Oof.
How It Helps Your Own Life: If you go to a gay club, try to avoid the dark room.
Terrence McDonagh Bad Lieutenant (2009)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage) is hooked on drugs and adrift in a New Orleans still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.
It all starts getting particularly messy when McDonagh recruits gang leader Big Fate as his partner…
How It Helps Your Own Life: Drugs are likely to make you a really bad judge of character.
Bruce Wayne The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Rock Bottom Moment: The Batman (Christian Bale) faces Bane (Tom Hardy)… and loses.
The muscular juggernaut of a villain plucks Bats from the ground like he’s nothing more than a rag doll then cracks his back on his knee. It takes Bats months to recuperate…
How It Helps Your Own Life: If Batman can come back from a broken back, you can do anything. Ahhh.
Don Birnam The Lost Weekend (1945)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Boozer Don Birnam (Ray Milland) gets so wasted he not only blacks out but ends up hallucinating mice and rats.
His rock bottom comes when he’s forced to drag his beloved typewriter down Manhattan’s Third Avenue in order to pawn it for more booze – only to find no pawn shop will serve him.
How It Helps Your Own Life: Booze = bad.
Marion Silver Requiem For A Dream (2000)
The Rock Bottom Moment: Everybody’s miserable in Darren Aronofsky’s symphony of pain, but none more than Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), who winds up performing some rather painful-looking live sex for the benefit of a braying crowd.
Utter humiliation.
How It Helps Your Own Life: Find yourself in the same situation? Yeah, you’re probably at rock bottom.
