Smashed is the story of a couple of young alcoholics—one who realizes her struggle, the other who doesn’t. It spans what happens when one half of a couple grows out of immaturity, develops a sense of personal responsibility, while the other blames her for getting sober and not being any fun anymore. Probably a formula that could be applied to many a marital split.
That’s really all that happens, but it’s worth the eighty minutes or so, if only for the way the director handles the universal issue of alcoholism. It could be cliche, but its fairly nuanced and well played in Kate’s character. She’s not really sure what she should be doing, she just knows it should no longer involve drinking if she’s ever going to be in the right place. She relapses, pees on the floor and dresses like an 80’s Mormon mother of twelve, but she’s trying to figure it out. Hopefully after the movie ends she acquires a new wardrobe.
In addition to Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, it has a very cool supporting cast in Octavia Spencer, Megan Mullally, and Nick Offerman.
