Smashed

As a host of the movie review show The Screening Room, on ICTV, I have to watch about three movies a week and write reviews. This last week, one of the movies we watched was Smashed, directed by James Ponsoldt.  The film first appeared at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing. The film was picked up by Sony Pictures in August and was released  October 2012.

The film tells of the story of  Kate, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Charlie, Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad. Kate and Charlie are married and both share the love of alcohol. Kate's alcoholism spirals out of control and her job as an elementary school teacher is threatened. Kate then decides to work on her sobriety and asks Charlie to do the same. Kate meets her sponsor, played by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer. The move showcases Kate's struggle to maintain her sobriety, her marriage, and the relationship she once had with Charlie that was based on their alcoholism.


This is by far one of the best films I have seen in a very long time. The reason why I love this film is because of how emotionally raw the characters and story are.  Ponsoldt did an excellent job of portraying the story of two alcoholics without all the fluff and sugar coating. Aaron Paul and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have great chemistry throughout the film and build an emotionally complex performance for audiences. I found myself fully involved in Kate's struggle. This a is a film of intense emotional investment. The characters are bold, the story is very real, and the performances are excellent. Alcoholism is not a subject that is taken lightly and is often shown in a very comedic light in films. I enjoyed the realness feel this film had. The film has high and low points and offers audiences an emotional variety. Overall, a really awesome film that everyone should see.  Check out the trailer below.