spratnicki There is no doubt that there was alcohol and THC in Diane's blood stream, that is FACT. I watched the entire family deny the facts for the entire 'documentary'. What this film failed to explain was HOW Diane was that intoxicated. First off, THC is getting a bad rap here. THC is stored in a persons fat cells. It will remain in your system for anywhere between 1 week and a few months depending on that persons body mass, their personal metabolism and their usage of marijuana. It was revealed that Diane did in fact smoke marijuana. According to the family, she and she alone indulged occasionally. The family was coming home from a weekend camping trip. I'm 99% sure that while on this relaxing trip Diane would have consumed marijuana. There is hardly a better place to indulge. Campfire, marshmallows, the great outdoors...it's a great place to smoke some marijuana and enjoy life. It makes sense that the toxicology report came back positive for marijuana. What is total bullshit is the report saying she smoked 'an hour' to 'four hours' (I think that is what was said) before the accident. There is no way to tell when she consumed the THC. Also, from daily personal experience, marijuana does not make you aggressive, it's calming and relaxing. There is no way that THC is responsible for this accident. Now for the alcohol. I've been blind to alcoholism in the past with some very close friends. When people are true alcoholics, they are addicted and need the alcohol to survive. Diane was a professional and successful business woman and mother. Does anyone know anyone who can perform like Diane did while being sloppy drunk? Nope, it's impossible. This is how alcoholics function. They maintain a constant buzz throughout the day. A little bit here, a little bit there, but a little bit all day long will take it's toll. So here are my questions for the family or for Liz Garbus... -The Absolute Bottle that was found in the car. Was it the same bottle that was in the Schuler's camper over the weekend? Was it full? How much was left in the bottle when Diane got in the car on Sunday? Had the Schuler's been enjoying some vodka drinks over the weekend? I don't know because that was never discussed. It seems that if the Schuler's just 'had a bottle in their camper' it was for drinking. There is nothing wrong with drinking when done in moderation. So, did anyone drink that weekend? Kinda a big question that Liz decided to omit in the film. -Same question about the marijuana. Did anyone else indulge over the weekend? More importantly, did Diane's husband witness her indulge? That would clear up a lot in the toxicology report. The film had a comment about marijuana being a hallucinogen...not true. It's possible for a first time/non regular user to experience some hallucinogenic properties but it is rare. Anyone who regularly uses marijuana will not experience any hallucinations. The big questions are... -Did Diane stop anywhere else before getting to the toll booth on the Tappen Zee bridge? I'm sure there are credit card receipts that show purchases at the McDonalds/Gas station...did she stop anywhere else? There is only so much vodka on can fit in a coffee mug or soda cup...she would have been sipping on while driving, not slamming shots. Therefore she would have needed to stop multiple times to refill her beverage. I also don't see this being the case. She was a responsible woman and held down a high position job while maintaining her family. -When and where would she have smoked marijuana? I find it hard enough to find a 'safe' place to indulge while traveling and I'm by myself. Diane had a van load of children. Did she just leave 5 kids a go have a walkabout and smoke a joint somewhere? I don't see how this is possible either. We will never know what happens until the Schuler family stops the denial. What really happened that weekend at Lake Hunter? How did Diane get onto the Taconic and WHY??? She was heading away from her destination. Even in 2009 we had road cameras and tracking capabilities. What was the time frame from the time that they left the toll booth/placed the phone call/left phone on highway to the time of the accident? Did they stop somewhere between the toll booth and the accident? Is there no DOT footage showing Diane's car en route to the Taconic? Is there something else in the toxicology report that has been omitted? Did she perhaps buy some marijuana at the truck stop that was laced with PCP? That would make sense but just not true. There is a big puzzle piece missing from this story and until the Schuler's open up it will never be known. Diane was indeed impaired, but how, that is the main question. For one to become 'blackout' drunk there needs to be some serious alcohol consumption. I just don't see how she could have consumed that much alcohol in the time frame in question as well as with her surroundings and children. Save yourself 3 hours and watch something else. I say 3 hours because I've spent over an hour writing this review.

Unhelpful Yoda I watched this documentary last night and i have mixed feelings after watching it. I actually didn't know about this tragic accident until after i watched this documentary. It is very sad and tragic that this occurred but after watching this i feel like Diane's husband is in denial. Of course no one knows except Diane herself why she did what she did but her husband seems very focused on proving her innocence. I can see why he wants to protect his wife's name but it looks like the reality is much different. I think after watching the documentary I personally feel that Diane was drinking and maybe it was to help with her toothache but regardless alcohol was involved. It's definitely confronting towards the end when photos are shown of Diane's dead body at the scene. All in all a quite thought provoking documentary and definitely gives you lots to think about but also still leaves you with unanswered questions about this horrible tragedy.

Kosh32 I was both shocked & intrigued by this documentary. For me, the most shocking part of the whole store was that Diane evidently believed that the most appropriate time to crack a open a bottle of vodka and skin up a joint was when she had a car full of kids, two of which were her own.However, the one thing that this documentary fails to accurately portray is just how much alcohol Diana had consumed. The toxicologist merely states that she had 10 drinks in her system plus six grams in her stomach that had yet to enter her blood stream. 0.19 BAC is roughly ten drinks in the US, but one shot of vodka is 0.15 fl.oz, this multiplied by ten is 15 fl.oz. A US pint is 16 fl.oz. Baring in mind the six grams that was still in her stomach. DIANE HAD DRUNK A FULL PINT OF VODKA!!!This combined with the joint she had smoked (all within a couple of hours). Believe me, she was totally oblivious to her situation. I'm amazed she got as far as she did before disaster struck. What a tragedy that she could not wait until she was home.

Michael_Elliott There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Another hard-hitting documentary from HBO takes a look at the tragic case of Diane Shuler, the woman who drove the wrong way down a NY highway and eventually killed herself, her daughter, three nieces as well as three men in the other vehicle. Her family, and especially her widowed husband, believes that the toxicology reports saying she was drunk were incorrect so he tries to use this documentary to clear her name, which doesn't happen. Watching this film you can't help but get angry and sad. Sad because so many innocent lives were lost in what appears to be a drunk driving case at best and at worse perhaps some sort of suicide on the part of Diane. There are several theories given about what happened and it's clear that her husband wants to clear her name but it really does seem as if he's just trying to come up with anything to get over his grief. One really can't blame him for how he feels but at the same time I grew angry at him for coming up with anything to clear his wife. This includes saying the toxicology reports were wrong and he even wants to question a third report that pretty much confirms she was drunk. The film works pretty well as a mystery as one starts to think that something "other" happened to Diane but to me it was pretty obvious she was drunk no matter what else she was feeling. The documentary also interviews the three male victim's families and it's rather heartbreaking to hear them say they were preparing a meal when the three didn't make it home for it. THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH AUNT DIANE isn't a very easy film to watch but it certainly makes you appreciate time with her family because you simply never know when something like this could happen.