James Ponsoldt’s Smashed debuted at Sundance this year to brilliant early reviews, with a particular focus on its leading couple, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), for having given such exceptional performances.

Talk has been buzzing ever since for the possibility of a Best Actress nomination for Winstead at the Oscars, and with the film about to screen at TIFF, Sony Pictures Classics have now released the first clip.

“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.”

Ponsoldt (Off the Black) is behind the camera, directing from a script he co-wrote with newcomer Susan Burke, with a great trio of Jonathan Schwartz (Wristcutters: A Love Story, Like Crazy), Andrea Sperling (Like Crazy, Nobody Walks), and Jennifer Cochis (Douchebag) producing.

And starring alongside Winstead and Paul will be Octavia Spencer (The Help), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), and Mary Kay Place (Big Love).

Smashed will be released in the US on 12th October, which will likely be a limited release in its first week, followed by a wider release in successive weeks, as is Sony Classics’ frequent pattern. No word yet on if it will be reaching our shores in the UK, but with significant awards buzz surrounding the project, here’s to hoping we’ll see it in our theatres soon, too. For now, here’s the excellent first clip to give you a taste of what’s to come.

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