I think when i first saw the movie, i was quite surprised like the reviewer, that a film that dealt largely about alcoholism wasn't depressing or downbeat, quite the opposite, it was funny and had a kind of decadent glamour. I still think it's the best movie about bukowski work, it always reminds me about that clip from "The Charles Bukowski Tapes" where he talks about that kind of life on the bars, how lively it was, because the movie conveys so well that kind of mood.