Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul
Directed by James Ponsoldt
Actors looking to vault their careers to the next level have routinely sought out characters about to hit rock bottom. Need I remind you (and I probably do), Nicolas Cage scored an Oscar for playing an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas, while Ryan Gosling earned credibility as a crack-smoking high school teacher in Half Nelson.
Following in this tradition, Mary Elizabeth Winstead the girl who spawned countless fanboy crushes in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World plays Kate, an alcoholic elementary school teacher, in writer-director James Ponsoldts second shot at an addiction drama. (2006s Off the Black being the first.)
For good measure, Kate kicks off the film by smoking crack on a whim, certifying that her downward spiral has commenced. After vomiting in front of her students, she begrudgingly agrees to attend AA meetings with a colleague (Nick Offerman).
Those anticipating harrowing scenes of DTs and other ugly withdrawal symptoms will be disappointed to discover that Kates tentative first steps towards long-term sobriety are aggravatingly depicted via a whirlwind montage set to wistful folk music.
Ponsoldt is more intent on charting the slow motion implosion of Kates marriage to Charlie (Aaron Paul), an unmotivated, permanently-soused writer for a local weekly. (Whoever heard of such a thing?)
This grows increasingly problematic as, despite Pauls valiant efforts, Charlie isnt so much a fully-realized character as yet another of the films flimsy contrivances designed to accentuate Kates strengths and elicit sympathy.
Make no mistake: Winstead is a star on the rise. So much so that shes already above faux-gritty fare like this.
