Smashed

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  • Opened October 12, 2012 
  • 1 hr 25 min
  • R | Brief Drug Use, Alcohol Abuse, Language and Some Sexual Content

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. More on child suitability

  • Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Charlie (Aaron Paul) are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking...especially the drinking. When Kate’s drinking leads her to dangerous places and her job as an elementary school teacher is put into jeopardy, she decides to join AA and get sober. Sobriety isn’t as easy as Kate had anticipated. She realizes she must face a difficult past, including a troubled relationship with her mother, (Mary Kay Place) a party girl in her own right. To cover up a drinking related incident which takes place in the classroom, Kate fabricates a story to her employer, the school principal, Patricia Barnes, (Megan Mullally) who is overly nurturing and perhaps nosy. This lie soon balloons out of control and Kate is faced with a myriad of important choices she must make. Charlie, a music writer, whose care-free demeanor hasn’t changed much since college, struggles to be supportive of Kate’s new lifestyle. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia L. Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally
  • Director: James Ponsoldt
  • Genres: Drama

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Critics say Go
71 out of 100
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Fan Reviews

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Spot On!

by lawyerboo

As someone in the recovery community, I tend to anticipate movies that attempt to portray addiction and recovery with some trepidation wondering if they will "get it right." In my opinion, "Smashed"...

Must Go!
More than a PSA for alcoholism

by VAmovie_goer

Smashed is film which shows the struggles of one peson to overcome alcoholism. The film doesn't try to demonize alcoholism nor make excuses for it. The acting was excellent with special kudos to...

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Solid film

by karinagw

(Disclaimer: this is not a film I generally would have gone to see had it not been the first project my daughter worked on when she moved to L.A. (Prop Intern, Yay, Diana)) That said, while it...

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Critic Reviews

91
Entertainment Weekly
| Lisa Schwarzbaum

What's new about the unsensationalized portrait of one-day-at-a-time progress (and setbacks) is the low-key energy of this drunks' tale, by and for a generation with a high tolerance for humor and a low tolerance for soapiness. Read full review

90
The Hollywood Reporter
| Todd McCarthy

Its sharp writing and essential credibility make this small, intimate tale fresh and involving. Read full review

88
Chicago Sun-Times
| Roger Ebert

This is a serious movie about drinking but not a depressing one. You notice that in the way it handles Charlie (Aaron Paul), Kate's husband. He is also her drinking buddy. When two alcoholics are married, they value each other's company because they know they can expect forgiveness and understanding, while a civilian might not choose to share their typical days. Read full review

75
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

Don't forget Winstead when making a list of the year's Best Actress contenders. Yes, she's that good. Read full review

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Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate Hannah and Aaron Paul as Charlie Hannah in "Smashed."