Review of Smashed (2012) by Stuart K — 06 Feb 2015

Written and directed by James Ponsoldt, (Off the Black (2006), The Spectacular Now (2013) and The End of the Tour (2014)), this low budget drama was filmed in 19 days on a shoe-string budget of $500,000.

On page, this could have been a depressing and preachy look at how drink makes demons of us all, but there's something human about the film, and it actually finds humour in it's darkness. Elementary teacher Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is married to Charlie (Aaron Paul), but she has an alcohol problem, and she has frequently come to work either hungover or still drunk.

When she vomits in class, School principal Mrs. Barnes (Megan Mullally) worries for her wellbeing, but Kate lies and says she's pregnant. Her co-worker Dave (Nick Offerman) finds out about Kate's drinking habit, she makes him promise not tell, Dave reluctantly agrees, but only if she goes to AA meetings.

There, she meets Jenny (Octavia Spencer), who shows her there's more to life than drink, but Kate has a lot of baggage in life making her drink. Despite being made for nearly next to nothing, it has the appearance of an Oscar contender, as the performances by Winstead and Paul are stunning, and they capture what it's truly like to be drunk.

While it looks fun, it takes a serious toll on people. This is a realistic and down to earth look at how people deal with it.