Smashed

“It aint cool being no jive turkey this close to Thanksgiving! Yeah!” By the time you read this post this movie will more than likely be out of most theaters, so do yourself a favor and add it to your Netflix queue right now. However if it is still around in your neck of the woods don’t be a jive turkey and pop on in. Just make sure that you have already had a few beers and can have a few more while you do watch it. This way you don’t start to examine your own life and question whether or not you’re an alcoholic. 

What differentiates this story from your normal run of the mill substance abuse movies is the fact that neither Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) or her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) seem to actually have a drinking problem. They just seem like a young couple that never grew up from their college days and do the normal stupid things that a lot of do when we get drunk. The opening scene is Kate waking up late for work (again) and trying to remember how much they actually drank the night before. This is right before she discovers the fact that she pee’d the bed again. “I have a small bladder” she half heatedly uses for an excuse. Next you see her at school knocking back a few swigs from her flask for a little hair of the dog to help knock out her hang over. She then gets sick in front of her first grade class and instantly comes up with a lie for it that begins her downward spiral (sorry I just listened to March of the Pigs). Some of you may have never peed the bed or done  shots before work but most of us have gotten sick at work from a night of heavy drinking so you’re thinking that things are too crazy yet.

But then on the same afternoon  of her barely escaping severe punishment at her job, she’s at it again with her husband at a pool hall who convinces her that she doesn’t need help. And then she starts blacking out and waking up in random places that honestly could have put her in life threatening situations. While this sounds like it’s on it’s way to being a depressing and boring movie; it’s actually quite the opposite. It’s  laugh out loud funny for the most part. One scene in particular that stands out is when she leaves the bar early one night and decides to give a stranded at the bar girl a ride home.  Next thing you know, she’s smoking crack under a bridge and bonding with the local homeless crack addicts. After a series of funny yet sad moments, Kate decides that she’s at her lowest point but just can’t quite convince herself to get help.  Well enter Nick Offerman (Parks and Rec) who does an excellent job as the school’s vice principal and Kate’s guide to the world of AA.  He too is a recovering addict of a number of things. You automatically assume it’s just alcohol until he drops Kate off one night and you are then exposed to one of the films creepier and funniest moments. And no, it’s not the first thing that pops in your mind. 

 As with most substance abuse movies there is the necessary drama that comes along with trying to beat alcohol but it never gets preachy and too much of a downer. It really just serves as a cautionary tale. Kate ends up dealing with her past and her relationship with her mother. And of course there’s the difficulty of trying to remain in a relationship with her husband who continues his partying ways while somewhat trying to be supportive.  And let’s not forget she still has to live up to this lie she created when she got sick at school. So as you can see, this film covers a lot in 90 minutes but that’s the beauty of it.  You experience almost every emotion possible in that time frame without any of it ever feeling rushed. It’s good to see Winstead get a chance to actually act for the first time even though I loved Scott Pilgrim vs The World. And she holds her own especially when on screen with Octavia Spencer (The Help) and Mary Kay Place. 

This movie is FRESH and I suggest seeing it with a two drink minimum. Now I’m off to go bicycle from bar to bar with the hopes of not ending up in a Taco Bell drive through . Damn you Doritos Tacos Locos!