What's the old saying? "Ignorance is bliss?" So is alcoholism, and Hollywood is full of movies that portray happy and destructive drunks, unaware or uncaring of the damage they do to those around them. In most cases these films veer towards the redemptive qualities of sobering up, that of the relationship able to withstand the tumult and face a brighter future without the specter of addiction looming over it. But what about the relationship where alcohol wasn't just the catalyst, but the glue holding it together? What happens when you remove liquor from the equation?
Smashed is a powerful, brutally uncompromising film that explores the ins and outs of a marriage forged in the blurry haze of booze. Without a hint of glorification, writer/director James Ponsoldt explores that razor thin line where perpetual drunkenness goes from fun to embarrassing to downright scary. Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives a compelling, Oscar-worthy performance as Kate, a fun-loving wild child who is rarely sober, and rarely needs to be with her equally sloshed music journalist husband Charlie(Aaron Paul) enabling her at every turn. Fairly early on we see these two are a toxic pair, with Charlie allowing his wife to drive off in a drunken stupor, the evening devolving into a random crack smoking binge, and ending with Kate waking up in the middle of nowhere on a street corner.
From there it's a continued downward spiral, culminating with her vomiting in front of her elementary school class and telling a whopper of a lie to cover it up, a lie that haunts her for the rest of the film. But it also opens the door to redemption, as it catches the attention of a fellow teacher and recovering alcoholic (Nick Offerman), who offers to enroll her in Alcoholics Anonymous if she's willing. She takes him up on the offer after realizing she won't be able to do it without help.
Smartly, Ponsoldt doesn't deliver us a story that's all good cheer and roses stemming from Kate taking a step in the right direction. In fact, her life only gets more difficult as a result, and it becomes clear that alcohol was more than just a way to avoid all of life's troubles; it allowed Kate to perceive herself as something other than what she really was. She'd spent so much time inebriated that she really had no sense of self, and she finds it difficult trying to relate to people without the easy confidence liquor provides. This is never more apparent than in her first meetings in AA, or when she visits her mother(Mary Kay Place), a lifelong drunk who can't fathom a world where a Bloody Mary isn't always at hand.
Most devastating is the collapse of Kate and Charlie's relationship without that one unifying factor. As she continually works to better herself, his open mistrust of the AA system, and utter disdain of her newfound sponsors (including a game Octavia Spencer), actively hinders her progress. Even though it's obvious that their happiness was built on shaky ground to begin with, it's tough watching them deteriorate as he seems unwilling to acknowledge any problem, while she tries to stop from slipping back into old habits.
Co-written by Ponsoldt and Susan Burke, based in part on the her own struggles with alcoholism, Smashedfinds greatest success when dealing with Kate and Charlie's terminal co-dependence. Kate's personal struggles are familiar ones, and the film is fairly straight forward in that regard, which may explain why so many other ill-fitting elements are thrust into the story. Kate's close-knit bond with her AA sponsors takes a weird turn when Offerman's character admits his true feelings for her in awkward fashion. And there's a distracting subplot involving the comically enthusiastic principal (Megan Mullally) of Kate's school, who lives vicariously through the young woman. Offerman and Mullally are talented comedians (and married, to boot), and these storylines come off as a poor attempt to interject their brand of humor into the film.
Due for a role she could really sink her teeth into, Winstead is a revelation as Kate, and will remind some of Gena Rowland's award-nominated turn in A Woman Under the Influence. She's more than just the typical caricature of a drunk, but plays someone whose learned alcoholic behavior filled her with a false glow. Without it, she's all jitters and social anxiety, incapable of dealing with the full force of life crashing down around her. You won't find a better female performance this season. Paul is solid, but he shrinks a little bit opposite Winstead. This is clearly her show, and she more than runs away with it.
There are no happy endings in a story like this. Besting alcoholism isn't a sprint, and while there are some hopeful touches towards the end, it's clear that Kate's story is far from over.
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment