Smashed

Hard-working Los Angeles elementary school teacher Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) starts her day chugging a beer and takes a hefty swig from a flask before she enters the classroom. Although Kate and husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) share a love of music and booze, Kate drinks far too much; sometimes even wetting the bed. One day, while suffering from a severe hangover, Kate vomits in her classroom. Her first-graders think she's pregnant, a story which Kate confirms when confronted by the principal (Megan Mullally) who subsequently surprises her with a baby shower. But the vice-principal (Nick Offerman) is onto Kate's real problem and suggests that she accompany him to an AA meeting, where she takes an immediate liking to Jenny (Octavia Spencer), who becomes her empathetic sponsor. None of this sits well with Charlie, who has now lost his hard-partying partner. And a drive to Arrowhead to visit Kate's bitter estranged mother (Mary Kay Place) becomes a Bloody Mary bump on Kate's road toward sobriety. Director James Ponsoldt's Smashed is a straightforward, often powerful drama about the self-destructive effects of alcohol abuse, anchored by Winstead's strong performance, which never dips into melodrama, even when she warbles in a karaoke bar or tipsily rides her bicycle. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director James Ponsoldt and star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, a “making-of” featurette (13 min.), deleted scenes (11 min.), a red carpet Q&A from the Toronto Film Festival (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an often powerful character drama.] (S. Granger)