"I'll Cry Tomorrow" aptly depicts the main problem of movie and singing stars: They work unnaturally hard, dismissing relationships and family, and deal with their problems "tomorrow". Lillian Roth dealt with these problems with alcohol.

The problem with "I'll Cry Tomorrow," however, is its indulgence in its storyline. The bulk of the second half of the movie is just showing Roth drunk and making a fool of herself. The filmmakers are trying to generate so much sympathy for Roth that none is generated at all because of the film; only when the audience member sits down and thinks, "Well, wasn't she a victim of show business (and life in general)."

The parts are most often overacted, though Susan Hayward's performed well overall. The plot, however, is not focused on any segment of Roth's life nor any aspect -- just her alcoholism. I don't know, perhaps "Lillian Roth" is synonymous with alcoholism, but even at that, the movie shouldn't just show her getting drunk 24/7. The angle that the filmmakers are going for, as far as I can tell, is how life as a star has affected her personal life. At the very beginning, we are warned by the confrontation between David and Lillian's mother that a normal life with a family and a husband can and will never coincide with the life of a star.

But once she turns into an alcoholic, the story ceases to consider anything previous. The movie just doesn't know when to stop. It feels that it has to fit in so much in so little time. So it doesn't bother to truly connect the points of her life. It just keeps going and going and going and going... "Hey, if we show x number of scenes with Hayward drunk, then maybe she'll win an Oscar!" It falls into a trap that all biopics fall into -- not knowing what to keep in and what to leave out.