Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul Are Smashed

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Super Crispy Entertainment is lining up an impressive cast for its latest project "Smashed," as "The Thing" heroine Mary Elizabeth Winstead and "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul are in negotiations to topline the indie dramedy, while Octavia Spencer, the breakout star of "The Help," and "Parks and Recreation" thesp Nick Offerman are in negotiations to co-star.

James Ponsoldt ("Off the Black") is directing from a script he co-wrote with Susan Burke.

Loosely described as a modern day take on Blake Edwards' 1962 drama "Days of Wine and Roses," pic stars Winstead and Paul as a married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of alcohol. Their relationship is put to the test when the wife decides to get sober and attend AA meetings.

Spencer is in talks to play Winstead's close friend and sponsor, while Offerman is in talks to play an assistant principal at the elementary school where the protag teaches.

Super Crispy principals Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling are producing alongside Jennifer Cochis, while Stephen Ricci, Elise Salomon and Stephanie Meurer will serve as co-producers. Production is skedded to start around the beginning of November.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118043140?categoryid=4154&cs=1&cmpid=RSS

 

[Eddie Dean]

Nice to see Aaron Paul in something.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Apparently this film is getting a lot of online buzz, mainly as one of the films to check out at Sundance.

Winstead just got named on the faces to watch out for her performance in the film:

Although the 27-year-old actress has done her share of studio work (The Thing, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Final Destination 3), her raw performance in the competition film Smashed as a woman struggling to shed her marriage's dependence on alcohol showcases stripped-down dramatic chops that could open doors.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sundance-2012-mary-elizabeth-winstead-mark-webber-283029

Oh, and this was the first still from the film:

Synopsis:

Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter . . . and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.

Many films indulge the dramatic highs and lows of addiction. Refreshingly, Smashed is interested in the unglamorous middle path—what stumbling through recovery looks like. As Kate tests new boundaries and shoulders the consequences of her choices, this subtle story of imperfect transformation taps into truths about the challenges and losses intrinsic to living life honestly. Genuine performances and a grounded sense of place create an authentic, textured world where three-dimensional characters—neither all bad nor all good—occupy the uncomfortable grey zone of being human.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I like both of them a lot, so I'll definitely be seeing this.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I'll watch anything with MEW.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

So the premiere just finished at Sundance, MEW is getting rave reviews for her performance over on Twitter.

From Marie Claire mag:

Mary Elizabeth Winstead kills it in Smashed! #sundance

Slashfilm:

Wow, @M_E_Winstead had a really powerful moving performance in 'Smashed'. #Sundance

From Variety's Jeff Sneider:

SMASHED is the best film I've seen AT #Sundance. @m_e_winstead does something completely different & delivers her best performance yet.

Collider:

thought SMASHED was a really honest look at alcoholism with a career best performance by @M_E_Winstead

& from the guy who had the G&W site:

@jamesponsoldt's SMASHED is an honest, somber, and often good-humored portrait of an alcohol addict. @M_E_Winstead is marvelous. #Sundance

& here's a pic of Mary & Aaron during one of their promo events from today:

One about Aaron & co. performances:

Other "Smashed" revelations: Aaron Paul can play a substance abuser and Octavia Spencer can make life better for white women.

 

[Project862006]

aaron paul has come along way since being the star of a korn music video!!

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Review of the film:

*** ½ (three and a half stars)

This drama of alcoholism and its aftermath follows a long movie tradition – “The Lost Weekend,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Clean and Sober,” etc. – and brings a fresh, vibrant approach to it. Kate Hannah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) are good-time drinkers, but Kate's alcohol-fueled behavior starts getting scary. When she throws up in front of the first-grade class she teaches, her school's vice-principal (Nick Offerman) suggests she try AA. Soon she's taking the first steps toward sobriety, which leads to conflict with the still-drinking Charlie. The script, by director James Ponsoldt and co-writer Susan Burke (based on her own experiences with sobriety), is a firm launching pad for strong, authentic performances by Paul, Offerman, Megan Mullally (as Kate's school principal) and Octavia Spencer (as Kate's AA sponsor). But Winstead particularly shines, finding both laughter and tears in Kate's rocky road to sobriety.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogssundanceblog/53353880-50/kate-jan-park-smashed.html.csp

& Another from ScreenDaily:

This Sundance entry in the US Dramatic Competition has the benefit of featuring rising star Mary Elizabeth Winstead in her weightiest dramatic role. Despite its potentially difficult subject matter, Smashed is an accessible indie that should attract arthouse crowds, particularly if strong reviews mention the good work by Winstead and her co-star Aaron Paul, who has enjoyed notoriety of late as one of the leads of the acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad.

When Smashed opens, we discover that schoolteacher Kate (Winstead) and writer Charlie (Paul) are a wonderfully happy Los Angeles couple who enjoy getting drunk together and hanging out with their friends. But after a bender that finds her smoking crack and waking up in the middle of nowhere, Kate begins to see that her drinking is becoming a serious problem, which prompts her to join AA. Unfortunately, Charlie shows no interest in his wife’s attempts to get sober, causing tensions to build between them.

The best aspect of Smashed is its low-key, non-judgemental treatment of alcoholism, which allows the audience to initially find the couple’s drunken exploits charming before eventually showing the real danger they’re bringing to themselves. Refusing to cast either character as the villain, Ponsoldt – whose first film, Off The Black, also dealt with an alcoholic – is just as concerned with Kate’s difficult path to sobriety as it is with their relationship.

In understated but resonant ways, Smashed illustrates just how much their marriage is connected to their drinking – and how Kate’s desire to change puts a potentially irreparable strain on their bond.

Winstead and Paul are intensely empathetic as the tight-knit couple, and they succeed in showing the highs and lows of drinking without falling back on showy technique or melodramatic grandstanding. But there’s also good work from a supporting ensemble that includes Nick Offerman as Kate’s co-worker and fellow alcoholic, Megan Mullally as her boss, and Octavia Spencer as her AA sponsor.

Smashed isn’t interested in hurling self-help bromides but instead focuses on how ordinary people struggle with their dependencies, and the cast’s casual ease with their roles allows the movie, while hardly revelatory or momentous, the opportunity to be quietly heartbreaking.

http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/smashed/5036800.article

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

New stills:

Also, the buzz on this film from Sundance hasn't died down. Been getting a ton of positive reviews. Obviously not gonna post all of them here, but I've been reading them & Winstead's getting a lot of love for her role in it.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Sony Pictures Classics is about to buy the Sundance movie "Smashed," starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic schoolteacher who decides to get sober, TheWrap has learned.

James Ponsoldt directed the film, which he wrote with Susan Burke. Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling and Jennifer Cochis produced.

"Smashed" is about Kate and Charlie, a married couple whose alcoholism sends their lives spinning out of control. Winstead plays Kate and Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") plays Charlie. When Kate decides to get sober, she has to confront the lies she has been teling at work and the true nature of her relationship with her husband.

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/sony-pictures-classics-buy-smashed-35109#cmts-block

Good to hear a studio has finally decided to pick it up after all the good reviews it received. Hoping for a wide release at the least.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all worldwide rights to SMASHED. The film, directed by James Ponsoldt (OFF THE BLACK), is produced by Jonathan Schwartz (Like Crazy) and Andrea Sperling (Like Crazy) of Super Crispy Entertainment, who were honored at Sundance this year with a Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing, as well as Jennifer Cochis. The film is executive produced by Audrey and Zygi Wilf. SPC previously worked with Sperling on the 2005 feature, THE QUIET.

In SMASHED, Kate and Charlie like to have a good time. Their marriage thrives on a shared fondness for music, laughter . . . and getting smashed. When Kate’s partying spirals into hard-core asocial behavior, compromising her job as an elementary schoolteacher, something’s got to give. But change isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sobriety means she will have to confront the lies she’s been spinning at work, her troubling relationship with her mother, and the nature of her bond with Charlie.

“This is quite a remarkable and rare human drama, achieved through superb filmmaking by director James Ponsoldt and his entire cast, especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who gives one of the finest performances of the year. We are so pleased to be able to bring this film to audiences all over the world and to be working with producers Jonathan Schwartz and Andrea Sperling as well as our friends at UTA.” states Sony Pictures Classics.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/03/sony-pictures-classics-gets-sundance-pic-smashed/

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

I can finally bump this thread up. New clips from the film. It currently has an Oct. 12 release date:

[YT]CyOM8-y-qNA[/YT]

 

[ross2287]

Oh my goodness, thank you thank you thank you!

This is easily one of my most-anticipated movies of the year.

 

[Pink Ranger]

This is interesting. I know more than a few married couples like this, sadly.

 

[terry78]

MEW getting an Oscar nod? Could be.

 

[I Am Jack's...]

^ I would pay to see the reaction of people on here if you said that before this movie.

Anyway, I hadn't heard of this movie until today, but I'm totally interested now. I've had a soft spot for MEW since Sky High, and it's great to see her getting such great buzz.

Plus Aaron Paul is da total icing on the cake yo.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Trailer is here - http://wp.me/p2CCWq-21b

So is the official poster:

 

[Lasirius]

Sounds great! Definitely looking forward to this one.

 

[nick22]

looks really good. Always been a big fan of Winstead's.

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

If anyone is in Toronto or at TIFF this is screening tonight

I read quite a few tweets last night of people who went to see the screening, and everyone loved the movie & Winstead's performance and again, people were saying how she needs to get nominated/win an Oscar for her role.

Pics from the premiere are out though:

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Already has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it's opening in 3 weeks in NY and LA.

I hope it gets a wider release date cuz I wanna see this film.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/smashed/

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Soundtrack listing is out. The soundtrack will be released digitally on October 9, 2012.

01. Shower and a Beer – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
02. I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight – Richard and Linda Thompson
03. Wake Up and Run – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
04. Someone2Dance – Bart Davenport
05. Highland Park Bike Ride – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
06. Por Ti – Omero Guerrero
07. Dreams-Come-True-Girl – Cass McCombs
08. Lake Arrowhead – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
09. When the Shelter Came – Dark Meat
10. Santa’s Village – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
11. Planet of Women – Sonny & The Sunsets
12. One More Game of Croquet – Andy Cabic & Eric D. Johnson
13. Our Anniversary – Smog

http://filmmusicreporter.com/2012/09/21/smashed-soundtrack-details/

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

Official site is now up.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/smashed/site/index.html#/home

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

New clip with Winstead & Octavia Spencer:

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony/smashed/

 

[DrCosmic]

MEW looking like a grown woman. Good stuff.