Smashed (2012)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This subject matter here is addressed often, as it should be. Everyone involved got this one right-- the writer, the director, the actors. Anyone who is this person or who loves this person will find this a relevant and moving portrayal of addiction and its ravages. Not light fare, but well worth the kleenex.

SmashedThe feature doesn't flinch to go into dark places and takes bold decisions throughout the course of it that helps the audience stick to the seats even though it has a familiar premise with predictable twists and turns. Susan Burke and James Ponsoldt; the co-writers are in their A game doing some of their best work in here within a limited span and still offering enough range and room to each individual character. James Ponsoldt has done a decent job on executing it where its short and smart editing works in its favor even though it is not his best work till date. Mary Elizabeth Winstead; at the heart of it, is surprisingly amazing in her portrayal of an alcoholic and unlike the premise, is supported thoroughly by a great cast like Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman and Octavia Spencer. Smashed is your typical "alcoholic" feature with all the familiar ingredients installed by the writers to make the equation interesting and spicy as much as possible which works for the most part of it.

Smashed follows a married couple who are both alcoholics. Ultimately, the wife Kate realizes how much alcohol has affected her life and attempts to sober up. Mary Elizabeth Winstead pulls off a largely solid performance here. Sometimes she seemed kind of off, but for the most part she was charming and I really enjoyed seeing her character on screen. Aaron Paul did a consistently great job I think. He's an interesting character that maybe should've received a bit more attention, but for what he has does great. His character is complex and flawed, and he pulls it off in a convincing way. And moreover, both these actors have great chemistry. They play off of each other really well, and I definitely bought into the idea of them being married. The writing is usually pretty good. There are never any issues I had with it really. I was never left confused or wondering how a particular character could be so stupid or anything. It captured addiction fairly well, which is exactly what I presume it was going for. Overall James Ponsoldt has created another solid movie. While it isn't as good as some of his others, it's a solid film that I certainly enjoyed seeing. In the end I would recommend it.

So the movie itself is a bit of a slow burner, a really slow burner but if you stick with it the storyline does finally suck you in. I personally had a tough time connecting with the protagonist's character, okay, i actually didn't like her. Had a tough time believing her. Anyway. Great theme arc as it focused on how we as humans tend to use our vices to cover up the real underlying issues in our lives, and in this film, the marriage relationships. The protagonist realizes this about herself and decides to do something about it. supporting cast livened it up a bit. Other scenes looked too rehearsed taking away the rawness of the scene. Such as the liquor store scene and the arguing scenes between the protagonist and her husband. Although the very last scene for me was the winner, dialogue was powerful and really resonated, Aaron's performance there told so much about the story and her reaction to it was worth the 90 minutes.