Smashed (C or 2/4 stars)
Addiction dramas are a dime a dozen these days, and 'Smashed' (an independent film written & directed by James Ponsoldt) is no different. I'm reminded of such better alcoholic-themed movies, such as: Days of Wine & Roses and Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage in his great Oscar-winning role. But back to this film. Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is married to Charlie (Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul), a wannabe music writer who loves to get wasted as much as his mousy wife. Charlie, who basically hangs out with his buddies all day (playing video games), believes he can control his drinking.
Kate, who teaches 1st grade ... cannot control hers. After projectile vomiting in front of her young class, she gets off the hook by quickly lying to the principal (Will & Grace's Megan Mulally); claiming that she's pregnant! It's only when the elementary school's vice principal, a recovering alcoholic, gets Kate to an AA meeting that she finally sees the need for major change. Kate gets further help from a sponsor (Oscar-winner from The Help, Octavia Spencer), but finds herself increasingly estranged from still-drinking Charlie. Reaching a breaking point {there always is one in these movies}, she decides that she may have to do this on her own without Charlie. But just as alcohol can be a huge temptation, so too can a husband's pleading words.
Smashed covers a LOT of familiar ground -- too much so. Aaron Paul impressed me most. But the much-lauded Mary Elizabeth Winstead - while having a few powerful scenes - didn't feel wholly realistic to me as a barely-functioning alcoholic. She didn't elicit a guttural reaction from me for her character's pain & denial. Her performance, like the movie itself, didn't ring true to me. Everything felt artificial. The setting. The artsy floral dresses she chose to wear. The completely unnecessary, disgusting thing that the vice-principal says to Kate in a car (it just comes out of nowhere, and it is where the film started to lose me).
The principal, played by Megan Mulally (love her, but the performance is weak), did not feel like a real character. The children in Kate's class; the things they said & how they said them. None of it felt organic. It all felt ... rehearsed & acted. Furthermore, to say that this film is cliched is an understatement. The way Charlie treats Kate. Her drunken stupors. The karaoke scene (I mean, come on! How many drunk karaoke scenes have we seen in films about drunks? A ton. And the scene in this movie is no different than all of them). The nervous laughter while talking at the AA meeting. The dialogue there ... all so, so painfully familiar.
Oh, and Kate has a - wait for it - relapse with about 20 min. to go in the film. I'm shocked! See, nothing in this film is "new". There are no new INSIGHTS. No insights into the mind/heart/soul of an alcoholic. We've seen these Kates time & time & time again. Now, I can't say that the movie is "bad". It's easy to watch. Some of the performances have moments of authenticity & humanity. But 'Smashed' is just so ... covered. We've seen it all before. So I wonder why it was made.
Kate, who teaches 1st grade ... cannot control hers. After projectile vomiting in front of her young class, she gets off the hook by quickly lying to the principal (Will & Grace's Megan Mulally); claiming that she's pregnant! It's only when the elementary school's vice principal, a recovering alcoholic, gets Kate to an AA meeting that she finally sees the need for major change. Kate gets further help from a sponsor (Oscar-winner from The Help, Octavia Spencer), but finds herself increasingly estranged from still-drinking Charlie. Reaching a breaking point {there always is one in these movies}, she decides that she may have to do this on her own without Charlie. But just as alcohol can be a huge temptation, so too can a husband's pleading words.
Smashed covers a LOT of familiar ground -- too much so. Aaron Paul impressed me most. But the much-lauded Mary Elizabeth Winstead - while having a few powerful scenes - didn't feel wholly realistic to me as a barely-functioning alcoholic. She didn't elicit a guttural reaction from me for her character's pain & denial. Her performance, like the movie itself, didn't ring true to me. Everything felt artificial. The setting. The artsy floral dresses she chose to wear. The completely unnecessary, disgusting thing that the vice-principal says to Kate in a car (it just comes out of nowhere, and it is where the film started to lose me).
The principal, played by Megan Mulally (love her, but the performance is weak), did not feel like a real character. The children in Kate's class; the things they said & how they said them. None of it felt organic. It all felt ... rehearsed & acted. Furthermore, to say that this film is cliched is an understatement. The way Charlie treats Kate. Her drunken stupors. The karaoke scene (I mean, come on! How many drunk karaoke scenes have we seen in films about drunks? A ton. And the scene in this movie is no different than all of them). The nervous laughter while talking at the AA meeting. The dialogue there ... all so, so painfully familiar.
Oh, and Kate has a - wait for it - relapse with about 20 min. to go in the film. I'm shocked! See, nothing in this film is "new". There are no new INSIGHTS. No insights into the mind/heart/soul of an alcoholic. We've seen these Kates time & time & time again. Now, I can't say that the movie is "bad". It's easy to watch. Some of the performances have moments of authenticity & humanity. But 'Smashed' is just so ... covered. We've seen it all before. So I wonder why it was made.