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I had the opportunity to read Charlie Sheen’s book and watch the documentary about his life. Let’s talk about both.

First of all, what a train wreck. And by his own doing. I don’t dislike Charlie Sheen, but I do feel sad about his downfall. He had a great career going, but it gradually downshifted until it resembled the mess he had also made of his personal life. Given opportunities to reverse his fall, he tended to double down on his own poor choices and sink to a new level.

The new Netflix documentary and his recently published memoir are efforts to understand the depths of his fall, and to see the effort to stabilize and grow from his slide. Sheen is now 60, with three failed marriages and five children, in addition to being HIV positive, and his career in shambles. He’s been sober for seven years and appears to be off the crazy train. He’s still alive and has some of his gray matter still functional, so that’s a huge plus.

aka Charlie Sheen (2025), directed by Andrew Renzi, is a two-part docuseries on Netflix that dropped in September.

Carlos Irwin Estevez came out of the womb blue and not breathing. Somehow he found life. That event seems to foreshadow Charlie Sheen’s future life.

There is an interview with fellow actor Jon Cryer who says what might be the most profound thing about Sheen. Cryer says that Sheen doesn’t believe that he deserves which he’s achieved, which is why he burns it all down. He’s the definition of decadence, and self destruction.

Other interviews include friend Sean Penn, brother Ramon, childhood friend Tony Todd, Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, actor Chris Tucker, who all described the chaos of Sheen’s life through the years.

Former wife Denise Richards relates that as his show Two and a Half Men was enjoying great success and their marriage appeared good, he started to sabotage it all. And he did. Another addiction.

Daughter Lola says how difficult it is to have a relationship with someone who has an addiction.

Brooke Mueller, ex-wife number three, was herself a train wreck. Drugs were a problem for both. An arrest for domestic violence. Divorce. Rehab. A TV show hanging in the balance, but he signed a new contract making him the highest paid TV actor in history. More money for drugs and chaos. Fired by Warner Bros. from his TV show.

And it got worse.

The rants and public behavior was news, and big entertainment. Watch the train wreck, and people did. Live Nation paid him to go on tour to packed audiences wanting a dose of his crazy. Instead of help he got a larger platform, but that failed too. Even fans turned on him.

And even worse. Then HIV stepped in. Lawsuits, bad press. Accusations of rape.

Miraculously, today, Sheen is eight years sober, from drugs. Eventually, he stopped drinking as well. Finally, he realized that he had a responsibility. He had to show up for others, primarily his kids.

Sheen is apologetic for the wreckage, and though says that he wishes someone would have stopped him, it’s silly to think that could happen. So many people tried to, especially his dad. Sheen feels a special gratitude towards his dad, and he should.

Aside from brother Ramon, his other siblings and his parents did not participate in the film. Brother Emilio and dad Martin Sheen have said they didn’t want to steer the focus away from Charlie. They supported him, and this was his moment.

His story unfolds through interviews, film clips, home movies and Sheen’s own words. He lived in the media from a young age, so his actions were hardy a secret. Sheen also at times embraced the negative attention, as presented in news stories and off the cuff remarks to the media. His tour is remembered as a very bad idea, now. He referred to himself as a warlock, but the reality was a man nearing the nadir of his life. What we see and hear is Sheen’s attempts at wit and charm terribly misfiring.

The Book of Sheen (2025, Gallery Books) Charlie Sheen writes how he talks. The book is full of his colorful phrases and imagery. At least the book editors do not allow him to go off on rants or too far down the rabbit hole.

By his own description, Sheen had a fairly normal 1970s life, if living in Malibu, and following your actor-dad to film locations around the world, is considered normal. His pursuits and problems in school are relatable, until sex and drugs enter his life, both of which became highly addictive.

What’s evident is that Janet and Martin Sheen have to be two of the most supportive and loving parents alive. The journey of Charlie Sheen is littered with bad decisions, lies, broken promises, embarrassing events, failed opportunities, and the usual destructive that comes with long-term addiction. Sheen gives them a lot of credit, as well he should.

I wouldn’t say there many surprises in Sheen’s book, the guy’s life is a tabloid, played out for public consumption. He’s contrite, fairly honest, and is lucky to be alive. He gets zero sympathy, but the fact that he didn’t drag his ex-wives through the gutter in the book, and apparently maintains average to good relationships with two out of three, is commendable. That he seems to be a caring and responsible parent now, is also highly reflective on them.

At this point in his life, showing up for his five kids, his family, friends, and his commitments, are a full-time job. It took most of his life, but he seems to have “gotten it.”

The book is honest, but it’s also polished. He does his best to own his failures, and the wreckage. It’s sad how much of his career was spent making bad TV and films just so he could survive and pay his bills. By surviving I mean affording the parties, drugs, hookers and his posse. He barely mentions some films I thought were better than average, but he dismisses them as trash. I admit that was surprised at his stories about the making of Wall Street. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Which is a better reveal: The docuseries or the book?

Each is a little different. The book has more detail in his early acting career and more depth about Platoon and Wall Street. He also ventures into some relationships not mentioned or glossed over in the docuseries.

The docuseries has many very important interviews to fully understand the scope of his wreckage – ex-wives, kids, family, close friends. The interviews are quite telling on several levels. There’s more poignancy and power in the images than in his writing.

Personally, I felt the book wondered at times and spent too long on his drug escapades, and not enough on the recent years. Yet, his writing is entertaining, as if he’s telling a story about someone, and what they are experiencing is highly unusual, and equally unbelievable.

To think of the money and years wasted, the relationships damaged and the impact on his health, it’s all very sad.

Charlie Sheen is not a bad guy, but he’s made a lifetime of bad decisions, and lived to tell his story. How is this guy still alive?