Kate Hannah (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is what's
known as a "functioning alcoholic." She and her husband Charlie
(Aaron Paul) habitually drink themselves into a stupor every night, but as long
as she manages to drag herself into work on time – after waking herself up with
a few shots – she feels that her problem is under control. Smashed is a film
about Kate's gradual loss of control, and her decision to finally confront the
lifestyle that's gradually destroying her. The breaking point is reached when a
drunken night ends with Kate smoking crack and blacking out, before waking up
the next morning in the middle of nowhere. She returns home with a fresh desire
to straighten herself out, but how can she do so when she is surrounded by
booze and boozers?
Smashed is good at showing how recovering alcoholics need to
escape damaging environments in order to overcome their dependency. Kate and
Charlie's drink-fuelled nights have bonded them together throughout their
marriage, but her withdrawal from that scene immediately puts a strain on their
relationship. Now sober, Kate finds herself less able to relate to the man she
married, and she begins making new friends, through her Alcoholics Anonymous meetings,
which push Charlie even further out of the equation. The question that Kate
will ultimately have to ask herself in Smashed is whether a clean break with
Charlie will be necessary in order to fully commit to a life without drink.
Smashed is the second feature for director James Ponsoldt,
whose debut Off the Black also dealt with an alcoholic protagonist. He co-wrote
the film with Susan Burke, who drew inspiration from her own battle with drink
in her early 20s, but although Burke is a stand-up comic, her writing here is
earnest rather than comedic. In fact, the scenes in which Burke attempts to
inject a little humour often result in the film's weakest moments, with the
fake pregnancy subplot being by far its most jarring misstep. This turn of
events comes about when Kate inexplicably claims to be pregnant (rather than
simply unwell) in order to excuse the hungover vomiting witnessed by her young
students, a lie that quickly gathers momentum among her colleagues. While this narrative
strand conveys the build-up of lies that an addict often concocts to hide her
secret, but it feels out of place here.
The film is at its best when it creates an intimate focus on
Kate and allows Mary Elizabeth Winstead the time and space to do some very
impressive work. This is a strong, sincere performance from the actress, who
convincingly walks the fine line between a happy, sociable drunk and a
reckless, desperate one. The two most powerful moments in the film come in
Kate's AA meetings, where she delivers her heartfelt monologues with the air of
someone determined to turn a corner but unsure if she'll have the strength to
do so. Smashed is very much Winstead's show, but it feels like it should be a
two-hander. As Charlie, Aaron Paul is fine with the material he's given, but he
isn't given much to do with his limited characterisation. He's generally just a
drunken presence loitering on the edge of scenes, and by the time he starts to
snap into focus towards the end it's too late for us to feel the real sense of
loss which we should feel in this breakdown of this marriage.
Ultimately, what hurts Smashed is the sense that it all
feels so rushed. The film runs for a shade over 80 minutes and that tight
construction leaves much of it feeling oddly truncated. Nick Offerman's character transitions, from attentive colleague to creepily over-attentive pervert and back
again, come out of nowhere; Octavia Spencer only has a few lines; Mary
Kay Place feels like she could have played a more telling role as Kate's heavy-drinking
mother. Beefing up these supporting players and creating more tangible, convincing
relationships could have helped bring Smashed up to the level of its sterling
lead performance. As it is, this feels like a film that's racing through the 12
steps with indecent haste.