Some things I liked some I did not.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

While Aaron Paul has long shown his calibre in previous projects, he continues to surprise by turning simple choices of words into an emotionally charged line. If you are looking for films with fine acting performances, you have to include Smashed on your list. The film follows the story of an alcoholic couple and the fall of their marriage when one of them decides to be sober.Kate Hannah doesn't realize she is an alcoholic until something happens to her that make her question her actions. As a pre-school teacher, Kate is not the obvious role model for the kids when she shows up to work still hungover from last night's ride. She even pukes in the middle of the class, using the excuse that she's pregnant when one of her students asked if she is. This incident wasn't enough to cause her to come to her senses. She realizes the problem when a stranger offers her to smoke crack while she was drunk. While nothing really bad happened to her, it was enough of a wake-up call for her to start taking steps for her own good.Luckily for her, co-teacher and confidante Dave reveals that he was an alcoholic and that he regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. During her first session, she meets and falls in awe of Jenny's story, her soon-to-be sponsor in the film. Jenny helps her go through the 12 Step process by guiding her through simple conversations. Conflict arises when Kate realizes she can't stay sober unless her husband stops drinking in front of her.Tender, sweet, and raw are three things that come to mind whenever I look back at seeing the movie. It wasn't preachy and it wasn't overly dramatic but it gets its point across. One of the best scenes you'd have to watch out for *SPOILER* is when Kate goes into relapse after making a decision to stay honest (one of the points in the 12 Step to change). Kate's life falls apart while she was sober: a thing she points out in the film. I love the contrast of the film in its storytelling.Heartbreaking and with an ambiguous ending, Smashed is going to leave you in pain and hoping for the best but you will have to leave it to how you interpret Kate's closeup shot at the end. With a great performances from the whole cast, the films succeeds in telling a story of change and the sacrifices you have to make in keeping true to what you want to achieve. The only thing I could leave you is that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is going to be around longer because of her performance in this, especially when she says, "Let's do some shots" repetitively. Aaron Paul's last lines in the film is something that you will take with you when credits start to roll. Let's just say I replayed it 3 times.With the direction of James Ponsoldt, he was able to turn this piece he co-wrote with Susan Burke, into a cinematic, contemporary work of art. It's definitely deserving of its win in Sundance 2012 for the US Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing.Smashed is an original piece that will make you wish for more films to have the same quality.writelikesundance.wordpress.com

SMASHED (dir. James Ponsoldt) Kate and Charlie are 'twenty-something' married alcoholics who live a boozy and carefree life in a working class section of Los Angeles. The problem is that when Kate hits bottom first they soon find themselves emotionally and psychologically at odds. Mary Elizabeth Winstead turns in a stunning performance as a winsome primary school teacher who realizes that alcohol has made her life unmanageable, but her new-found sobriety seems to have accentuated subliminal problems in her married and professional life. The film offers the uncommon insight that an alcoholic's last drink really only marks the beginning of the true struggle. SMASHED is a film of redemption that rings true. Worth A Look

Smashed is the second movie of 2012 to fearlessly tackle substance abuse/dependency with a purely human focus. The first film, Flight, which deservedly scooped up two Oscar nominations, showed the aftermath of a pilot who saved the lives of dozens of people on a seemingly doomed aircraft before being discovered for having drugs and alcohol in his system. Neither a sob-story, a feel-good picture, or a courtroom drama, just to oust a few stereotypes, it was an emotional, deeply honest story about a man overcoming the limitation set-forth by an uncompromising, unnecessary addiction. I loved it and went on to name it one of my favorites of the year.Smashed is a story a bit more traditional and less unique, yet still terrifically captured, dealing with Katie Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a first-grade school teacher who is addicted to alcohol. So addicted, her marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul), a goofy, often unremarkable man, is practically predicated off their mutual love for getting buzzed. After vomiting in front of her class from a hangover, Kate creates a diversion to the children/fellow teacher saying she is pregnant, giving her a whole other problem to deal with. Eventually, she comes to terms and realizes she needs to sober up. She does this mostly in seclusion, only allowing her husband to know, while trying to up the courage to come clean to the children and the teachers that she is not pregnant.She joins Alcoholics Anonymous, and meets Jenny (Octavia Spencer), the leading lady who tells her that it is a tricky, unforgiving act to quit drinking, yet it must be done. These scenes at AA have a very strong sense of the awkwardness and tension likely present in your first couple meetings. It takes a few meetings before you can find that the strangers you're sitting with, while perhaps foreign in experiences, can relate with you on a strong part of life. It's just sad that it has to be alcoholism.Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has mostly assumed roles that don't allow her free expression other than conventions (Final Destination 3) or sidelined her to supporting roles (Death Proof) explodes here, playing a rational, strong woman caught up in circumstances that completely weaken her. Winstead bravery and commitment to a challenging, emotionally potent role could further make her the modern Joseph Gordon-Levitt of character actors, with her wide ranges and effortless attempt to convey believability within a challenging role.At only seventy-seven minutes, Smashed packs something of a wallop for viewers. It attacks human grief and tribulation with a sense of raw understanding, and never cops out for the emotional depth and sentimentality of a Lifetime drama. It's much wiser, knows how to create characters, and has scenes that are so awkward, yet so rich (take for example the scene where another teacher expresses his fondness for Kate) that they beg to be seen again. This film would serve as a nice companion piece to the documentary Bill W., about the man who started AA. A double feature of the two would show a nice, versatile portrayal of an organization.Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, and Octavia Spencer. Directed by: James Ponsoldt.

Pretty teacher Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) are a young married couple who are also alcoholics. When Kate gets sick of waking up in strange places and peeing herself, she decides to quit drinking and get help. But, Kate faces an uphill battle as she gets resentment, not support, from her husband and to gain sobriety she may loose everything. What I liked most about this indie drama was that co-writer/ director James Ponsoldt avoids the melodramatics that usually come with films of this nature and guides his cast trough a real life situation and has them play real life people complete with quirks and all. And as for his cast, they all give good down to earth performances but, it is Winstead who owns the movie as the troubled young woman who wants to change the downward spiral of her life. She effectively portrays the frustration of her own behavior and then then hurt and anger when she tries to change her life and doesn't get the support she needs from those she cares about. Winstead shows chops that she hasn't yet had the opportunity to show and she gives a very real and effecting performance. True, I would like to have seen more of the relationship between Kate and her AA sponsor, Jenny (Octavia Spencer) and a subplot involving her vice principal, Dave (Nick Offerman), who has a crush on her and introduces her to his AA group, doesn't quite click but, this are minor points. Overall Smashed is a solid and heartfelt drama that doesn't preach yet, doesn't make light of it subject matter and gives a talented young actress a role she can really shine in. Recommended for those who are looking for a drama that's refreshingly un-Hollywood and want to see Winstead prove she's more then a pretty face.