"Smashed" might not have been a smashing success at the box office being a small independent movie, but I have to mention that there is an actress that is smashing her way to elite status, and that would be Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She stars in the film as Kate Hannah, who is married to Charlie Hannah. Kate is an elementary school teacher. Kate & Charlie do not have any kids. However, they have adopted a few liquorish little ones or big ones for that matter in the names of Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, Jose Cuervo, and a string of other spirited lush-causing agents. In other non-pun wordage, they are both alcoholics. While teaching a class, Kate throws up in front of her students due to a hangover; when her students ask her if she is pregnant, she is caught off-guard with the question, and lies to them and says that she is. Consequently, the entire school's administration and faculty is informed that Kate does have a pun in the oven, I mean bun in the oven, (even though she doesn't); and suddenly Kate is impregnated with a deceitful cover-up situation and has to pretend she is pregnant in her school. The school's Assistant Principal Dave Davies, played by Nick Offerman, did see Kate drinking in the teacher's parking lot the same morning that she spilled her vomiting vocabulary in front of her class. Davies questions Kate on the incident, and Kate does inform him that she was drinking and is not pregnant. Davies is a recovered alcoholic and suggests that she join him in an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. Kate, seeing that her self- destructive vice is worsening, decides to join Davies in the meeting. There she meets her sponsor Jenny, portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer. Once again, Spencer is playing a role where she provides "help" to a white woman. Whether Kate is able to overcome her alcoholism, is one that I will not reveal because I will be spilling the spoiler on you; and if I do, you just might "86" me by not reading any of my future film reviews. As far as Charlie "J. Daniels" Hannah is concerned on his drinking, he just keeps chugging away which does not make things any easier for Kate from abstaining from alcohol when her husband is still married to the bottle. James Ponsoldt vehemently exhibits the independent spirit or spirits, in his direction of the picture; he shot the film in only 19 days. Ponsoldt and Susan Burke's script of "Smashed" was very authentic on the struggles of alcoholism and its effects on a marriage. Winstead's starring performance as Kate hanged over my head for quite a while in declaring it as one of the best performances by a leading actress in 2012, and should have received more merit during the recent award season. Aaron Paul, of TV's "Breaking Bad", broke in the independent movie circuit with a great performance as Charlie. Also have to give shots out, I mean shout-outs, to the steady supporting performances from Offerman, Spencer, and Megan Mullally as the school's Principal. And I also place in good standing Mary Kay Place's brief supporting work as Kate's mother Rochelle. "Smashed" is not a perfect film, but it is a gripping film that should be watched for no other reason than Winstead's monster smash performance! ***** Excellent
