Sony Pictures Classics Gets Smashed

It is hard for a film to capture new ground when detailing the travails of alcoholism (after all, one of the best films in the genre, Billy Wilder’s THE LOST WEEKEND, took home the Oscar in 1945), but the new indie film SMASHED makes its mark by putting the scenario in the milieu of educated 20-somethings whose thirst far outweighs their common sense. The film, which had its world premiere to glowing reviews at the Sundance Film Festival last month, has been picked up for U.S. rights by uber indie distributor Sony Pictures Classics. The film, directed by James Ponsoldt and co-written by him and Susan Burke, stars up-and-comer Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic schoolteacher who decides to get sober. While the subject matter is a challenging one, the film has a few assets that will certainly generate interest. Recent Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (THE HELP) has a key supporting role as the young woman’s AA sponsor and Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul (BREAKING BAD) plays her equally out of control husband. Expect the film to appear at numerous film festivals both in the U.S. and abroad before its theatrical release later this year.

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