Educational Media Reviews Online

Bob Forrest speaks wistfully of his teenage dream to shoot up drugs like some young girls speak of a fairy tale wedding. Bob and the Monster, a film about Bob Forrest’s journey from punk rock drug addict to punk rock drug counselor, engagingly portrays the unraveling and renovation of a man that realized his intravenous fantasies and became overcome by the destruction that ensued. The film highlights the possibility of healing and personal revolution sans preaching or cliché. It also provides music fans with a glimpse of the Los Angeles scene in the 1980s and 1990s, of which Forrest became a notable part when he helped form the band Thelonious Monster, and according to some, also later destroyed. Commentary from members of Los Angeles fixtures such as Jane’s Addiction, Fishbone, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers intersperse the piece.

Some viewers will recognize Forrest not from his exploits in Thelonious Monster, but rather from his appearances as an addiction counselor on the television shows Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew and Sober House, which also features Dr. Drew Pinsky. Bob and the Monster includes a clip of an interaction between Forrest and Pinsky recorded during their appearance on a radio show in the 1980s. Pinsky later admits that he was shocked to find that Forrest had survived his addiction during the many years that had passed before meeting again. Indeed, Forrest’s difficult trajectory from the darling of his family to a well-known resource for sobriety seeking addicts was littered with needles, close calls, damaged relationships, and questionable cover of “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.” Ultimately though, Forrest states that the story of an addict “does end well if you don’t die.” He also serves as a testament that even those who have diligently committed themselves to self-destruction can channel those energies into something life affirming.

While the film offers entertainment and moments of levity, it also presents topics to spark scholarly exploration in varied disciplines relating to bioethics, health, and substance abuse. For instance, Forrest reveals his philosophical opposition to a current trend in drug rehabilitation. As he and others featured in the film explain, there has been shift from abstinence based recovery toward replacing illicit drugs with prescription based alternatives, such as Suboxone, as a means to become allegedly sober. Forrest claims that some substances a doctor can legally prescribe for detoxification purposes present more significant withdrawal issues than those for which one must seek out a drug dealer. Bob and the Monster illuminates the fact that many involved in the addiction field may not agree on what constitutes genuine sobriety, nor how to reach it.

Bob and the Monster is highly recommended for high school through general adult level viewers.

Awards

• Jury Award, Best Documentary, KahBang Film Fest, 2011
• Jury Award, Best Documentary, CIMMfest, 2011
• Audience Award, Best Documentary, Gold Coast Film Festival, 2011