Smashed

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.

This film was one of two real standouts for me at the Sundance Film Festival 2012. Lead by two Oscar-worthy performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Kate) and Aaron Paul (Charlie), "Smashed" accomplishes the impossible by addressing a very serious topic with depth and sympathy and realism, while still finding time to make the audience laugh hysterically now and then. Director James Ponsoldt and his co-writer Susan Burke deserve high praise for pulling off that feat. Additional kudos go to "Parks and Recreation's" Nick Offerman, as the deadpan sad- sack co-worker who takes Kate to AA and starts her on the road to sobriety. In a role that's the opposite of uber-confident Ron Swanson, he's hilarious as the always-ill-at-ease Dave.

This is one of those rare movies that is just like life: sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad, but always real. I hope it gets the audience it deserves.

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

The title SMASHED may make you think this is some lurid story about alcoholism but it's not. It's a very straightforward, sensitive treatment on the subject of addiction as seen through the eyes of an elementary schoolteacher, Hannah, beautifully played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in one of the best performances this year. Winstead is wonderfully authentic as a young woman whose excessive drinking begins to interfere with her job. She's someone we don't expect to find battling this kind of problem which makes the film all the more poignant. Her marriage to a rather shiftless man who spends his time drinking and cavorting with friends doesn't help. As we learn more about her past we begin to understand how she ended up in this relationship. The good supporting cast includes Aaron Paul as her husband, Charlie, who's even more oblivious than Hannah; Oscar winner Octavia Spencer adds some humor to the otherwise grim gospel of withdrawal and recovery; Megan Mullally is the principal of Hannah's school; Nick Offerman is a colleague who takes an interest in Hannah's troubles and Mary Kay Place is her mother who insists she can still mix a great Bloody Mary. The screenplay by director James Ponsoldt and Susan Burke is determined to avoid the melodramatic pitfalls and clichés of similar stories and purposely takes a lighthearted, sometimes comedic approach. SMASHED is an honest, contemporary look at the bad choices we make and impact they have on our lives.

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.