Smashed
(USA, 85 min.)
Written and directed by James Ponsoldt
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Mary Kay Place
As the habits of most addicts go, Kate lies about her
situation and pretends to be with child. Her principal (Megan Mullally) is
ecstatic, as she can’t have babies herself and is happy to see her friend ready
to become a mother. However, the vice-principal, Dave (Nick Offerman), spied
Kate guzzling whisky from her flask before the morning bell, and he offers to
help set her straight. (He’s in AA himself.)
Kate’s next slip-up is a scary one. It comes in one of those
extreme cases of progressive binge drinking where a casual beer leads to another,
which leads to shots, which leads to drunk driving, which leads to smoking
crack with a random stranger, which leads to waking up in an industrial park on
the other side of town. The scary blackout gives Kate a necessary wake-up call,
as do her frequent bed-wettings and her make-believe baby. She realizes that
she needs to get her shit together because Keith Richards himself might OD on
her lifestyle.
Kate’s recovery is a struggle. In AA, she learns about the
slow, itchy process of quitting the bottle. Dave is a strong supporter, as is
Kate’s sassy sponsor Jenny (Spencer), who advises her to replace one addiction
with a harmless placebo. (Baking, in Jenny’s case.) Kate makes quite a go by
quitting cold turkey, but Charlie won’t give the stuff up. He loves his wild
partying ways, and his lifestyle allows it. Consequently, Kate is faced with
daily temptation by her main friend and ally.
Smashed might be
the best onscreen depiction of alcoholism since Leaving Las Vegas. Kate’s strides and slips along the twelve-step
ladder make for a harrowing journey. Smashed
digs into the repulsive destructiveness that alcoholism wreaks on one’s life as
friends and family are often sold out for the bottle. Writer/director James
Ponsoldt creates moments of explosive drama, but he chases them with tangible shots
of sobriety. Kate’s step into AA succinctly reveals the arduous process of
kicking the bottle, and Smashed gives
a frank, non-judgemental portrait of those who can quit and those who can’t.
The biggest smash of the film is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s
award-worthy turn as Kate. Winstead (best known for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) gives an unflinchingly raw performance
as the film’s virulent alcoholic. Like the film, though, Winstead gives a
deeply sympathetic portrait of the addiction, and one that shows an
understanding of the symptoms and side effects alcoholism. What makes Smashed so effective is Winstead’s ability
to let Kate’s virtues slip through the slurs and swaggers that erupt during her
toxic nights of getting tanked. Kate isn’t a monster; it’s simply the drinking
that is.
Thanks to Winstead’s layered performance, a strong
supporting cast, and Ponsoldt’s sober approach, Smashed is a compelling character study of alcoholism and recovery.
It’s especially good that Smashed makes
its point in a quick 85 minutes, since the film allows the audience to come up
for air during their difficult journey. Smashed
might be a tough film, but it’s neither depressing nor bleak. There is hope at
the end of this journey and Smashed shows
the power that resides in all of us if, like Kate, we’re willing to take the
first step and break down our most comfortable layer.
Rating: ★★★★½ (out of ★★★★★)
Smashed opens in Ottawa at The Bytowne in November