Smashed

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Octavia Spencer, Mary Kay Place, Kyle Gallner
Directed by: James Ponsoldt
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2012

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) begins to suspect she may be an alcoholic, but struggles to get sober with her husband (Aaron Paul) drinking so heavily.

Review:

Tim: Smashed is a good movie from director James Ponsoldt. It's his second feature film directorial effort and while his inexperience still shows, it also shows a lot of promise. This is a small, character-driven film about alcoholism and how it can ravage and ruin lives. However, it's also a hopeful movie as well- while the road back to sobriety is a long one, it can be done.

The film does a great job of really focusing on Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character. She is an average girl who enjoys drinking and having fun. As the movie progresses, she soon realizes she may have a drinking problem. This is presented in a very believable light- the dawning of realization is almost always a slow one for people battling addiction. Very slowly, she starts to realize that when she drinks, bad things happen. That's the first step on a long journey. The movie really focuses on how difficult it can be to give up something when everyone around you is doing it. It would take incredible amounts of willpower. Ponsoldt does a good job of helping us to understand Winstead's character and how she got to where she is. She's not a bad person, and her descent into alcoholism happened gradually. It is also a gradual climb back. It was very interesting to see how the relationships she had changed and evolved as she struggles to get sober. The most important and difficult relationship is with her husband, played very well by Aaron Paul. He is an alcoholic as well, but enjoys that lifestyle. The dynamics of their relationship are quite interesting.

Winstead was excellent in the film. She had to embrace this completely unglamorous role- she really looks awful for much of the film and I know this must have been difficult for a woman trying to have a career in Hollywood. It's always a risk to play roles like this, and I hope it pays off for her. It was very often uncomfortable to watch her in this role, playing this self-destructive, alcoholic woman who has let addiction run her life for so long. It's really a challenging, sad role. She plays it very well. I liked Aaron Paul here as well. He doesn't have a great deal to do, but he shows flashes of real talent. I hope he has a long, long career in Hollywood. Nick Offerman was good as well- I still don't like him as an actor much, he was good here. Octavia Spencer was good, too, but the supporting cast is a bit shortchanged in this film. It's really all about Winstead.

I can't say this is a great movie, but it is a solid one. It features some good direction (not great) and some incredible performances. It really made me uncomfortable to watch these characters and the impact alcohol has on their lives. For that reason, this movie is worth seeing. It is not a movie I'd probably ever want to watch again (it's too depressing), but it's a good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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