Smashed is an independent film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who always seems right on the cusp of stardom) and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul (once again playing a likable, vulnerable addict) as a married couple of alcoholics. The movie is advertised as a story of what happens to them as a couple when Winstead decided to get clean, but that’s not exactly true. It’s really more her story in general, with Paul no better than a supporting player in a decent-sized supporting cast that also includes Megan Mullally, Octavia Spencer, and Ron Swanson himself, Nick Offerman.
What Works: Everyone in this cast holds their own. I love seeing fellow Auburn grade and The Help oscar winner Octavia Spencer in anything, and she does some finely subtle work as Winstead’s AA sponsor. Mullally and Offerman (who are married in real life) play Winstead’s work “friends” who are either deceived by her or may have ulterior motives for helping her get clean, both are strong. And then there’s Winstead herself, delivering a performance of immense doubt without making it seem tedious or inaccessible, which isn’t easy to do. Kudos
What Doesn’t Work: The main problem I have is that Aaron Paul (and, as an enormous Breaking Bad fan, I know how strong an actor he is) is never really given a lot to do. His husband is always sort of kept at arm’s length, and we’re never really given a scene telling his side of the story, or what alcohol means to him, or why it’s so important. Whereas Winstead is given layers, we’re just left to assume he drinks because he likes to get drunk and party. Well, sure, that’s a reason but it can’t be the only one. And so a movie that’s billed as “What happens when one partner gets sober” is actually about the wife’s recovery, while her and her husband share a few scenes together.
What I Would Have Done Differently: I would like to have seen them on more equal footing, and gotten a little more screen time with Paul. The movie is barely 85 minutes long, so why not allow him to be a fully fledged character too? This is such a small character piece, it feels unsatisfying to not fully explore both “main” characters.