Smashed DVD Review
Mary Elizabeth Winstead shines in “Smashed.”
“Smashed,” which can best be described as a sort of modern “Days of Wine and Roses,” revolves around an alcoholic married couple (Kate and Charlie). Charlie is a music journalist who spends the majority of his time drinking with his buddies. Kate, who is a school teacher by day, is an out of control alcoholic whose life begins to spiral out of control as her booze addiction leads her to lie about pregnancy to school staff and students. To make matters worse, Kate’s drinking leads to even further shame, self-harm, and criminal acts such as stealing, public urination, and crack smoking. Knowing she needs help, Kate takes the advice of the school’s vice principal and attends an AA meeting to try and get her life back on track. While all of this is going on, her husband Charlie continues to drink and is less than supportive of her sobriety. Will Charlie hold Kate back from doing what she wants (and needs to do)? Will their marriage crumble? Will Charlie finally face the truth and try and change for himself, for her, and for them? You’re just going to have watch and see.
If you’ve read the above plot summary, you probably think that “Smashed” is an utterly depressing film. While it can be tough to watch the effects of alcoholism on Kate and Charlie (and their relationship), the film is never overly serious or preachy. For the most part, the film feels real and honest. There are light hearted character moments, heart-wrenching dramatic moments, and life altering moments. In other words, it encapsulates the life of these characters and it does it well. While it would have been nice to see the cause of their alcoholism and perhaps learn a bit more about the character’s past, it’s still an interesting character study regardless.
As strong as James Ponsoldt and Susan Burke’s screenplay is, however, it’s the performances that make the material truly come to life. If you’ve seen Breaking Bad,” and “The Help,” it should come as no surprise that Aaron Paul and Octavia Spencer deliver memorable performances again. Likewise, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally (primarily known for sitcom work) give interesting turns in more serious minded roles. The real star here though is Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Prior to this, Winstead was best known for doing roles in big films like “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” and “Live Free Or Die Hard.” She’s always done fine work, but she’s never had a meaty acting role. I think that will change from here on out as Winstead proves she’s as good of an actress as any of the award winning actresses in the biz. How Winstead managed to get snubbed and largely ignored for award season last year is beyond me as she truly gives this role her all. Not many actresses could take on a role this unglamorous, honest, and difficult and make it entirely convincing. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what other challenging roles Winstead will take on in the near future.
Video/Audio:
The film, which is presented in 1.85:1, looks fine. This is a moody, raw, indie film and it certainly looks it. It should be noted that this title is also available on Blu-ray.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track does a fine job with a mostly dialogue/music centric track.
Extras:
* Sony film trailers and a theatrical trailer for “Smashed.”
* 6 deleted scenes.
* Toronto Film Festival Red Carpet And Q&A with writer/director James Ponsoldt, actresses Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Octavia Spencer, and producer Jennifer Cochis. Discussions range from performances to themes.
* Making Smashed contains the usual set footage, cast/crew interviews, and chats about the film.
* Commentary by Mary Elizabeth Winstead and James Ponsoldt. Not too interesting of a track. Mostly lots of patting on the back with some occasional behind-the-scenes stories.
Summary: “Smashed” isn’t the type of film you’d ever want to watch more than once, but it’s worth seeing just for Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s bold performance.
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