Suffering from drinking, Kate, a young smart and beautiful schoolteacher, who drinks alcoholism heavily, makes her mind to give up drinking, through going to alcoholism anonymous, where she begins to receive treatment, the thing that turns upside down her life and challenges her marriage.
The camera work is handheld and jittery, reflecting Kate's often wobbly state of mind, and the character's decidedly nonglam wardrobe, minimal makeup and charm-free home feel honest and right.
Quickflix
February 03, 2013
In under eighty minutes, Smashed succeeds in so many ways.
Ponsoldt keeps up a good pace and refuses to let the material get too heavy. He focuses on the characters and their slip ups, jokes, frustrations, and all the imperfections that make up a person.
Winstead and Paul make their characters feel like flesh and blood, not stereotypical Lost Weekenders. Their love is as real as their future is shaky. And that's the film's great tragedy.
Smashed is a non-judgmental snapshot of the small world surrounding this couple, and is filled with insightful moments and really great low-key performances.
The only ingredient that renders it remotely unique is an Oscar-caliber performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the proverbial drunk with a heart - and liver - of Johnnie Walker Gold.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead comes into her own in this lightly directed and disarmingly enjoyable film, which delivers its message without the aid of a soapbox.
Winstead is immense in this picture, a true force of nature who embodies so many complexities and demons that make her this perpetually broken protagonist...
