Something to Live For

Something to Live For

Year: 1952

Runtime: 89 mins

Language: English

Director: George Stevens

Drama

Alan Miller, an advertising executive who has beaten alcoholism and now conducts interventions for Alcoholics Anonymous, is hired to assist rising Broadway star Jenny Carey as her career is jeopardized by a worsening drinking habit. As Alan becomes increasingly drawn to Jenny, his marriage to Edna, with whom he shares two children, begins to fray, jeopardizing his family life.

Something to Live For (1952) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Something to Live For (1952) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the bustling heart of mid‑century New York, the glitter of Broadway and the relentless churn of a Times Square advertising office create a backdrop where ambition and desperation often walk side by side. The city’s relentless energy is both a stage and a pressure cooker, a place where a single misstep can echo through a career, a marriage, and a lifelong struggle with sobriety. Within this world, the quiet rituals of Alcoholics Anonymous offer a fragile counterpoint to the flashing lights and endless deadlines, hinting at redemption that is never guaranteed.

Alan Miller has spent the last years of his life building a new identity after beating alcoholism. By day he crafts slogans for a high‑stakes agency, and by night he conducts interventions for those still caught in the grip of the bottle. His own domestic life—shared with his wife Edna and their two children—represents the stability he fought to reclaim, yet it also bears the weight of his past. The tension between his professional confidence and the lingering fear of relapse shades every interaction, making his sense of responsibility feel both noble and precarious.

Jenny Carey arrives on the scene as a rising Broadway talent whose luminous performances mask a growing dependence on alcohol. Her career, poised on the edge of stardom, is threatened by the very habit she uses to steady her nerves. When Alan is hired to help her navigate this perilous crossroads, the encounter promises a meeting of two people who understand each other’s vulnerabilities in ways outsiders cannot. Their connection is immediate, charged with the unspoken awareness that both are balancing on a tightrope stretched between recovery and desire.

As the two strangers linger in the glow of Manhattan’s relentless night, the story settles into a contemplative rhythm. It explores how love, ambition, and the specter of addiction can intertwine, leaving each character to question how far they are willing to bend before the very foundations of their lives begin to crack. The mood remains intimate and tense, inviting the audience to watch the quiet drama of choices made in the shadows of bright lights.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 09:40

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about flawed saviors like Something to Live For

Stories where rescuers risk their own stability to save someone from themselves.If you liked the dynamic in Something to Live For, where Alan's recovery is tested by helping Jenny, you'll find similar tension in these movies. This thread groups films about mentors and rescuers whose own vulnerabilities are reignited by their efforts to save another person.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative follows a protagonist who has achieved a degree of stability after a personal struggle. When they take on the responsibility of guiding someone through a similar crisis, the boundaries between helper and patient blur, creating a moral and emotional conflict that jeopardizes the protagonist's own recovery or relationships.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here based on the shared narrative pattern of a 'wounded healer' archetype. They explore the emotional risks of empathy and the complex dynamics that form when a savior's personal investment becomes dangerously high, creating a specific type of character-driven tension.

Movies about moral sacrifice like Something to Live For

Emotional dramas where doing the right thing comes at a deep personal cost.Fans of Something to Live For, which explores the cost of Alan's duty to Jenny versus his duty to his family, will appreciate these films. This collection highlights dramas where characters face impossible choices between love and obligation, resulting in emotionally complex and bittersweet conclusions.

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Narrative Summary

The plot hinges on a central character being pulled in two opposing directions by compelling forces—often a committed relationship versus a newfound passion, or a personal calling versus family duty. The journey involves wrestling with this dilemma, and the ending typically affirms one path while acknowledging the profound sacrifice of the other.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their focus on the bittersweet emotional landscape of difficult choices. They share a tone that balances hope with melancholy, a steady pacing that allows for deep moral reflection, and narratives that prioritize emotional truth over tidy, happy endings.

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Something to Live For Summary

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Something to Live For Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Something to Live For

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Something to Live For

More About Something to Live For

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