Winstead received critical acclaim for her role . Film critic Roger Ebert , who gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4 , wrote that she " is sort of wonderful in this movie , worn and warm " and commended her decision not to portray the character as a victim . '' Rolling Stone '' Peter Travers described Winstead 's performance as " unmissable and unforgettable " , praising the comedy and intellect she simultaneously brought to the role . Mick LaSalle of the '' San Francisco Chronicle '' felt that Winstead was striking as Kate and speculated that '' Smashed '' would prove to be " the doorway to great things " in her career . Joe Williams from '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch '' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and stated " There will never be another Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor , but Hollywood may have found a new Lee Remick in Mary Elizabeth Winstead . " When '' Smashed '' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival , Ponsoldt was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category , while producers Andrea Sperling and Jonathan Schwartz received a nomination for the Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing . Winstead was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead . Octavia Spencer received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress at the Black Reel Awards . For their work on the film , casting directors Avy Kaufman and Kim Coleman were nominated for a Casting Society of America Artios Award for a Low Budget Feature in the Comedy or Drama category
Black Reel Awards
Black Reel Awards of 2013
Smashed (film)