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SMASHED (2012)Movie Reviews
Drama comedy about a hard-drinking teacher whose decision to join Alcoholics Anonymous puts a strain on her marriage. Cast:Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Kyle Gallner, Mackenzie Davis, Bree Turner, Mary Kay Place, Octavia Spencer, Patti Allison, Richmond Arquette, Natalie Dreyfuss, Anjini Taneja Azhar, Susan Burke, Danilo Di JulioDirector:James PonsoldtRelease Date:October 12, 2012DVD Release:March 12, 2013From:Sony ClassicsRating:RLength:1 hr 25 min
Smashed (2012) played in key cities to very good reviews. • Liam Lacey wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "...a funny film, both comic and refreshingly off-beat. It's an addiction-and-recovery movie without the usual side-effect of wallowing melodrama." • And MaryAnn Johanson wrote for Flick Filosopher, "Winstead is a wonder... at once heartbreaking and heartening." More Reviews Below...
Alynda Wheat, People: VERY GOOD(cg) "The intimate portrait gives Winstead room to explore the inevitable bumps of recovery, but fellow addicts Octavia Spencer and Nick Offerman get short shrift."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 40 words, 10/11/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...understated to a fault. The bottom isn't low enough, the struggle isn't difficult enough, the characters (especially the supporting ones) don't feel developed enough..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 656 words, 10/11/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...affecting.... a drunk's tale by and for a generation with a high tolerance for humor in the midst of dead seriousness, and a low tolerance both for soapiness and bullshit..."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 01/26/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "James Ponsoldt deftly dodges gooey sentiment.... Don't forget Winstead when making a list of the year's Best Actress contenders. Yes, she's that good."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 301 words, 10/11/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...knows a lot about alcoholism, and it also knows about the good times that can go along with it. This is a serious movie about drinking but not a depressing one."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/19/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a small, precisely observed portrait... refuses to indulge a voyeuristic taste for the kind of sordid details exploited by reality television..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 10/12/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Mary Elizabeth Winstead ('Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World,' 'The Thing') is amazing... intimate, unexpectedly weighty... gripping and modern..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 119 words, 10/12/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...both down and dirty and boisterously energetic... seldom gets beyond the thrashing surface and offers nothing new in its observations of the 12-step process."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 10/12/12
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "I'm having a relapse.... There needs to be a 12-step program for movie people to stop sharing their 'deeply personal' yet insight-free stories of addiction."(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 147 words, 10/12/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Kate's unflappable sponsor, Jenny, and the weird but well-meaning Dave have both done much harder living. They might have made for more interesting stories."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 280 words, 11/02/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...knows a lot about alcoholism, and it also knows about the good times that can go along with it. This is a serious movie about drinking but not a depressing one."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 10/19/12
Michael Nordine, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "Movies about drugs and alcohol may be a dime(bag) a dozen, but James Ponsoldt's film is so beautifully shot and well-acted as to transcend the genre."(See all of Michael Nordine's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 10/10/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a funny film, both comic and refreshingly off-beat. It's an addiction-and-recovery movie without the usual side-effect of wallowing melodrama."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 700 words, 10/26/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feels as unstable as its protagonists. It wobbles between uncomfortable comedy and shattering drama, sometimes in the same scene."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 142 words, 10/25/12
KEY CITIES (13 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...never really rises much above the level of a dramatic public service announcement... I don't mind the scolding. But tell me -- or show me -- something I don't know."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 10/19/12
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...low-budget, realistic, well-acted, and shrewd... Ponsoldt makes sure than no one is excessively noble - in fact, he goes the other direction..."(See all of Gary Thompson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 358 words, 10/26/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Written by Susan Burke, who clearly knows more about these stories than is taught in screenwriting class... conveys a rare depth of understanding and compassion..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 10/26/12
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Everyone in the film is good. Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally do well in more dramatic roles than we're used to seeing them in... Mary Kay Place is harrowing..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 581 words, 10/26/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "You do feel for Kate -- Winstead is an inarguably warm actor. She's just not doing the sort of work that transcends the movie's shortcomings."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 10/26/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it does something else that rehab movies have done since 'The Lost Weekend' -- give a charming, amusing actor a chance to do full-out drama."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 10/12/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Ponsoldt knows what his job is here. He keeps the camera on his lead actress and doesn't cut away. For Winstead, 'Smashed' is the doorway to great things."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 10/19/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a masterful screen portrait of addiction.... The supporting cast is strong, but it's Winstead's fearless, open face that carries this movie."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 11/09/12
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a bit pat and overly streamlined, but it mostly rings true, especially in its portrayal of what happens to a booze-based marriage when booze is taken out of half the equation."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 11/09/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "There will never be another Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor, but Hollywood may have found a new Lee Remick in Mary Elizabeth Winstead."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 12/07/12
Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a familiar, straightforward story, carried from start to finish by Winstead, who makes Kate an interesting study in contradictions."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 11/22/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "Winstead and Paul make their characters feel like flesh and blood.... Their love is as real as their future is shaky. And that's the film's great tragedy."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 294 words, 11/16/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...beautiful yet heart rending... you've grown to care about these characters so much, but you also realize that sometimes love doesn't conquer all."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 10/19/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Michael Nordine, Village Voice/LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "Movies about drugs and alcohol may be a dime(bag) a dozen, but James Ponsoldt's film is so beautifully shot and well-acted as to transcend the genre."(See all of Michael Nordine's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 10/10/12
Jake Mulligan, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "The stage seems to be set for a boozed-up 'Blue Valentine,' but just as the melodrama gains traction we cut to a coda and the credits..."(See all of Jake Mulligan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 167 words, 10/25/12
Nathan Rabin, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...powerful... a refreshingly complex look at how one partner's emotional development can play havoc with the other partner's security and sense of self."(See all of Nathan Rabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 387 words, 01/24/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...the uniformly brilliant cast nearly masks the truth that 'Smashed' offers a cheap and easy sort of inspiration in lieu of genuine inquiry into what it takes to reenter society..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 10/09/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feels as unstable as its protagonists. It wobbles between uncomfortable comedy and shattering drama, sometimes in the same scene."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 142 words, 10/25/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a small, precisely observed portrait... refuses to indulge a voyeuristic taste for the kind of sordid details exploited by reality television..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 10/12/12
Scott Tobias, NPR: VERY GOOD "...features Winstead's extraordinary performance... the core of 'Smashed' is a perceptive and moving treatment of a specific strain of alcoholism..."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 10/11/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...both down and dirty and boisterously energetic... seldom gets beyond the thrashing surface and offers nothing new in its observations of the 12-step process."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 10/12/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...an affecting and immersive addiction drama about the unforeseen pitfalls along the road to recovery.... 'Smashed' is at times almost too entertaining for its own good..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 01/23/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...an outstanding showcase for the dramatic talents of Mary Elizabeth Winstead.... its sharp writing and essential credibility make this small, intimate tale fresh... involving..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 01/24/12
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...both down and dirty and boisterously energetic... seldom gets beyond the thrashing surface and offers nothing new in its observations of the 12-step process."(See all of Sheri Linden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 10/12/12
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...a small, precisely observed portrait... refuses to indulge a voyeuristic taste for the kind of sordid details exploited by reality television..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 559 words, 10/12/12
14.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Smashed (2012)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Smashed (2012) (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Smashed (2012)'s reviews cover 60.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,341 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 398 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 30 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Smashed (2012)'s reviews on average broke 30 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Smashed (2012)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Smashed (2012) (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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