Review of Smashed (2012) by Dan S — 25 Apr 2013

A well-intentioned, though heavily flawed drama concerning an alcoholic young teacher (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who must comes to terms with her life after a series of horrible decisions under the influence of alcohol.

While Winstead is utterly phenomenal in a performance that should have got her nominated for an Oscar, she's unfortunately trapped in a film that suffers from a case of inexcusably awful writing at one crucial point in the story that the film builds on.

The "pregnant" lie she tells is handled horribly (anyone in the world would have said "I'm feeling sick today" instead of make up some inescapable lie), and if it weren't for Winstead being so unbelievably terrific here, the film would be near unwatchable.

But she is outstanding, as is her supporting cast, and the way the writers detail their characters is actually surprisingly well-done given most indie films sometimes kick character development to the curb except for the lead character.

With all that said, it's not a bad movie. It is flawed, but it is well-paced, well-acted, and as said it has a good heart at showing just how dangerous the life of an alcoholic can be, while still giving us hope that all is not lost.

Not a total recommendation given it's obvious flaws. "Flight" still crushes this film given the subject material, but it's certainly not anywhere close to a bad movie.