Smashed is an extremely honest film,
which is not always an easy thing to sit through. Life is difficult enough
without having to experience the pain of someone else’s life as well when
escaping to the movies, which is probably why most audience members would
rather choose an evening watching a werewolf fight against a vampire over the
love of a silly teenage girl. But for those looking for something with more
depth, and performances that put most Academy Award nominees this past year to
shame with brazen honesty, Smashed is
a treasure. Though I don’t imagine I need to see it again any time soon, I
would highly recommend this film.
Mary
Elizabeth Winstead carries the film as Kate, a young school teacher who still
spends every night drinking heavily with her irresponsible musician husband,
Charlie (Aaron Paul). When these nights of heavy drinking begin to get out of
control for Kate, she realizes that it may have become a problem that is taking
over her life. After vomiting in front of her first grade class, she tells
people she is pregnant to avoid telling the truth. This inevitably disastrous
situation paired with several nights of waking up in strange places leads Kate
to seek help, turning to a new group of friends in AA (Nick Offerman of “Parks
and Recreation” and Octavia Spencer from The
Help).
There
are some moments within the film that are a bit too awkward, perhaps
unnecessarily, but the one thing that always remains within the film is
sincerity. Never for one moment did I doubt that anything in the film could
really have happened, but Smashed also somehow manages to refrain from cliché
and predictable territory. It is truly an original and honest film about
addiction; somewhat heartbreaking, but excellent in every way.
The
DVD comes with a commentary track with director and co-writer James Ponsoldt
and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. There is also a making-of featurette, some footage
of the Toronto
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