Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Sadly Over-hyped

Better Late Then Never

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

While Aaron Paul has long shown his calibre in previous projects, he continues to surprise by turning simple choices of words into an emotionally charged line. If you are looking for films with fine acting performances, you have to include Smashed on your list. The film follows the story of an alcoholic couple and the fall of their marriage when one of them decides to be sober.Kate Hannah doesn't realize she is an alcoholic until something happens to her that make her question her actions. As a pre-school teacher, Kate is not the obvious role model for the kids when she shows up to work still hungover from last night's ride. She even pukes in the middle of the class, using the excuse that she's pregnant when one of her students asked if she is. This incident wasn't enough to cause her to come to her senses. She realizes the problem when a stranger offers her to smoke crack while she was drunk. While nothing really bad happened to her, it was enough of a wake-up call for her to start taking steps for her own good.Luckily for her, co-teacher and confidante Dave reveals that he was an alcoholic and that he regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. During her first session, she meets and falls in awe of Jenny's story, her soon-to-be sponsor in the film. Jenny helps her go through the 12 Step process by guiding her through simple conversations. Conflict arises when Kate realizes she can't stay sober unless her husband stops drinking in front of her.Tender, sweet, and raw are three things that come to mind whenever I look back at seeing the movie. It wasn't preachy and it wasn't overly dramatic but it gets its point across. One of the best scenes you'd have to watch out for *SPOILER* is when Kate goes into relapse after making a decision to stay honest (one of the points in the 12 Step to change). Kate's life falls apart while she was sober: a thing she points out in the film. I love the contrast of the film in its storytelling.Heartbreaking and with an ambiguous ending, Smashed is going to leave you in pain and hoping for the best but you will have to leave it to how you interpret Kate's closeup shot at the end. With a great performances from the whole cast, the films succeeds in telling a story of change and the sacrifices you have to make in keeping true to what you want to achieve. The only thing I could leave you is that Mary Elizabeth Winstead is going to be around longer because of her performance in this, especially when she says, "Let's do some shots" repetitively. Aaron Paul's last lines in the film is something that you will take with you when credits start to roll. Let's just say I replayed it 3 times.With the direction of James Ponsoldt, he was able to turn this piece he co-wrote with Susan Burke, into a cinematic, contemporary work of art. It's definitely deserving of its win in Sundance 2012 for the US Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing.Smashed is an original piece that will make you wish for more films to have the same quality.writelikesundance.wordpress.com

I am a recovering alcoholic, 23 years sober. Over the years, I've developed somewhat of an obsession with films on this subject, always looking for my own story. 'Smashed' is that film. Mary Elizabeth Winstead captures the essence of the functional alcoholic perfectly. Her character, Kate, is two people - the respected, enthusiastic teacher by day and the out of control drunk by night. This can work for a while, but there will always come a day when these two worlds literally collide.This movie hits that mark perfectly. Kate's recognition that she is an alcoholic is tough to watch, but so realistic. I knew I had a problem, but denied it until that one morning I woke up in my car and had flashes of memories from a crazy, chaotic night before. Like Kate, I went to AA that same day, and while I hated it at first, those people saved my life.This movie is about redemption and loss. Getting sober isn't easy. Life continues and we are left to deal with the wreckage of our past. Those problems we ignored, suddenly explode in our faces. But we deal with them. 'Smashed' should be required viewing at rehab because it's real.

Smashed is about a scenario we're all familiar with.Everyone is having fun and living carefree until one person decides they want to change. It puts a strain on that friendship (or relationship). Only here, we have a married adult couple. They drink a lot and occasionally dabble in drugs. When the wife throws up in front of her primary school class, and pretends she is pregnant to cover up her hangover, she realises she has to change. Kate's (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead), partner, Charlie (Aaron Paul) isn't very supportive and maintains drinking himself, in front of her.It really makes you wonder if the decisions you make whilst being under the influence or addicted to something - albeit a substance, or food, are the decisions you'd make, without it. The tale resolves itself but is far from happy, because of that I find the realism all the more believable.The moment when the phrase 'moist pussy' was said too me off guard and I definitely laughed out loud and laughed. Great moment and great acting all round, good film.

Smashed is the second movie of 2012 to fearlessly tackle substance abuse/dependency with a purely human focus. The first film, Flight, which deservedly scooped up two Oscar nominations, showed the aftermath of a pilot who saved the lives of dozens of people on a seemingly doomed aircraft before being discovered for having drugs and alcohol in his system. Neither a sob-story, a feel-good picture, or a courtroom drama, just to oust a few stereotypes, it was an emotional, deeply honest story about a man overcoming the limitation set-forth by an uncompromising, unnecessary addiction. I loved it and went on to name it one of my favorites of the year.Smashed is a story a bit more traditional and less unique, yet still terrifically captured, dealing with Katie Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a first-grade school teacher who is addicted to alcohol. So addicted, her marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul), a goofy, often unremarkable man, is practically predicated off their mutual love for getting buzzed. After vomiting in front of her class from a hangover, Kate creates a diversion to the children/fellow teacher saying she is pregnant, giving her a whole other problem to deal with. Eventually, she comes to terms and realizes she needs to sober up. She does this mostly in seclusion, only allowing her husband to know, while trying to up the courage to come clean to the children and the teachers that she is not pregnant.She joins Alcoholics Anonymous, and meets Jenny (Octavia Spencer), the leading lady who tells her that it is a tricky, unforgiving act to quit drinking, yet it must be done. These scenes at AA have a very strong sense of the awkwardness and tension likely present in your first couple meetings. It takes a few meetings before you can find that the strangers you're sitting with, while perhaps foreign in experiences, can relate with you on a strong part of life. It's just sad that it has to be alcoholism.Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has mostly assumed roles that don't allow her free expression other than conventions (Final Destination 3) or sidelined her to supporting roles (Death Proof) explodes here, playing a rational, strong woman caught up in circumstances that completely weaken her. Winstead bravery and commitment to a challenging, emotionally potent role could further make her the modern Joseph Gordon-Levitt of character actors, with her wide ranges and effortless attempt to convey believability within a challenging role.At only seventy-seven minutes, Smashed packs something of a wallop for viewers. It attacks human grief and tribulation with a sense of raw understanding, and never cops out for the emotional depth and sentimentality of a Lifetime drama. It's much wiser, knows how to create characters, and has scenes that are so awkward, yet so rich (take for example the scene where another teacher expresses his fondness for Kate) that they beg to be seen again. This film would serve as a nice companion piece to the documentary Bill W., about the man who started AA. A double feature of the two would show a nice, versatile portrayal of an organization.Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, and Octavia Spencer. Directed by: James Ponsoldt.