Alcohol can be a good supplement to a fun time, but an excessive use of it can turn that fun into stress. James Ponsoldt’s latest film,“Smashed”serves to show how alcohol abuse cannot only damage a marriage, but even relationships with family, friends and coworkers.

Kate and Charlie Hannah are a young married couple residing in Los Angeles and have a mutual love for alcohol. Kate is an elementary school teacher while Charlie works at home trying to promote music bands.

The movie starts out with Kate teaching a class and throwing up in front of her first grade students and uses the alibi of “being pregnant” as an excuse to leave work. Furthermore, she goes back home to get drunk again with her husband Charlie instead of trying to recover from her hangover.

Later that night, the quirky pair goes out to a bar to drink again, and Kate ends up in a serious predicament.  A drunken lady outside the bar asks her for a ride back home since the lady’s “selfish and irresponsible” sister abandoned her at the bar. During the car ride, Kate is introduced to crack and ends up waking up the next morning in the middle of an alley.

Kate’s life begins spiraling down into chaos after this night. Her introduction to crack makes her have an epiphany that her habitual drinking is detrimental to herself both physically and mentally. While trying to change for the better by going through AA and being sober, her relationships with her husband, mother and coworkers become more distanced.

Director and writer James Ponsoldt does an exemplary job of portraying the trials and tribulations of adjusting to a sober lifestyle and expressing the ramifications of that adjustment. Strong performances from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate Hannah and Aaron Paul as Charlie Hannah progress the story excellently and the subtle humor keeps viewers interested throughout the drama.

The plot is a perfect example of someone trying to change for the better. Kate realizes her mistakes in life and is defiant about turning things around. She becomes driven and more independent in an attempt to not use alcohol to escape the stress in her life. The scenes with Kate in the AA meetings with new strangers shows how individuals who share the same issues can come together to strategize a way out of their problems and come together as a community and motivate each other. These scenes shed a positive light on how these meetings help to serve the needs of others instead of how other films lampooned AA meetings in comedy films.

James Ponsoldt succeeds in making a dramatic film about a serious issue. He offers a poignant reminder about the dangers of alcohol and how extreme substance abuse can create dysfunctional relationships. The nearly flawless script and engrossing dialogue creates a maelstrom of emotions. From laughter to sadness, James succeeds in incorporating a diverse range of feelings to help perpetuate the plot.

Kate Hannah offers one of the most memorable quotes that can serve as an overall message of the film: “When I am drunk, I become a different person. I am happier with a boring life over a drunken life.” Indeed a powerful film filled with palpable emotions and a must see for film connoisseurs.