"I don't think I can do this anymore, I think I need to slow down and I might need help." Kate (Winstead) is an elementary school teacher who loves her job. She is married to a man she loves. One day at school she throws up in class and the class asks if shes pregnant. What starts off as a little lie snowballs until she reveals the truth. Kate is an alcoholic. This is one of the best under the radar movies that I have seen in a long time. While not as intense as Flight was at showing the effects and struggles with addiction this is still a very well done and disturbing look at the problem. Winstead gives an amazing performance in this and deserves to be nominated or at the very least talked about. The movie is depressing and a little hard to watch but it really should be seen by a bigger audience then it will get. I know movies about addiction aren't at the top of everyone's list but this is a movie that I do recommend. Overall, a movie that is hard to watch in some parts but deserves to be seen by more people then will see it. I give it a high B+.
Smashed
2012
Action / Drama
Smashed
2012
Action / Drama
Plot summary
Kate and Charlie Hannah have a relationship well lubricated with alcohol, but Kate finally finds her chemical appetites have gotten completely out of control. With the help of an ex-addict friend at work, Kate finds a support group that helps her begin to conquer her addictions. However, that recovery proves just part of a larger personal challenge to rebuild her life even as her marriage with her drunken husband deteriorates.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
A nearly great movie about the struggles with addiction with a great performance by Winstead. I recommend this. I say high B+
Mary Elizabeth Winstead B+ drunk acting
Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and her husband Charlie Hannah (Aaron Paul) are a couple of drunks. His life is a series of drinking, partying, and listening to bands. Only for her, things have gone from embarrassing to scary. After some disturbing events, she goes to AA for help.
Drunk acting is arguably the toughest type of acting. For Aaron Paul, this is second nature. For Mary Elizabeth Winstead, this is a departure from her usual sweet pretty girl roles. It's always great to see an actor stretch. She does a good B+ job. I hope she continues to stretch.
The story is unsensationalized serious realism. Some will find problems with the modest script. It is a short 80 minutes. There isn't some crazy hurdles for Kate to overcome. Her difficulties are reasonable problems that most hardcore drunks face. There is limited embellishments in this movie. Nick Offerman does one crazy line of dialog. That's the extend of embellishing in this one.
Low Key
The movie itself is not really a big shouting message to tell people what to do. And even Aaron Paul, whose character may seem one dimensional does have things you'll discover about him. There are more layers there and some need looking at them to see them. Nick Offerman plays it almost silently, but has one completely over the top scene (a scene with a follow-up joke that would fit in any other comedy too),that still does not derail the movie.
But the main protagonist, our woman that we follow is what it's all about. And she delivers in a way that is very heartbreaking to watch. And very real too. Everyday problems and things that get out of hand. You may cringe here and there, but the movie is still able to affect you very deeply.