Mary-Elizabeth-Winstead-SmashedArguably one of the finest breakthrough performances of the year – if not one of the finest performances full stop – comes from Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Smashed.

The actress who before now may have been best known for her performance in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (and for us, as you’ll soon see, Sky High) is a revelation as a school teacher battling against alcoholism in Smashed. We caught up with Mary to ask her about the film and her performance, awards buzz, superhero movies, as well as where she sees her career going from here. You can check out her astonishing performance in cinemas from today.

Smashed co-stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Mary Kay Place and is directed by James Ponsoldt.

Kate and Charlie are a young married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of music, laughter and drinking- especially the drinking. When Kate’s drinking leads her to dangerous places and her job as a school teacher is put into jeopardy, she decides to join AA and get sober. Sobriety isn’t as easy as Kate had anticipated. Her new lifestyle brings to the surface a troubling relationship with her mother, facing the lies she’s told her employer and calls into question whether or not her relationship with Charlie is built on love or is just boozy diversion from adulthood.

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