Toronto Film Review: ‘Mary Goes Round'
VARIETY
"A prodigal daughter returns in “Mary Goes Round,” discovering that the personal problems she’s been studiously ignoring only grow more inescapable in the presence of the estranged family members who more or less caused them. Molly McGlynn’s somewhat autobiographically inspired debut feature bears a certain resemblance to James Ponsoldt’s 2012 “Smashed,” with a similar young, middle-class alcoholic as heroine. But this film is lighter in tone, successfully blending drama and humor in a way that skirts pat dramedy. This modest but winning effort should do well on the festival circuit, and possibly beyond.
Mary (Aya Cash) is a 29-year-old Toronto resident with a serious partying jones. When after a latest inebriate night we see her among an addicts’ support group, we assume she’s ready to mend her ways. Then we realize she’s the meeting’s (not very good) facilitator. Working as a professional substance-abuse counselor gives Mary additional incentive to deny she’s in exactly the same boat as her clients. But that lie unravels when a DUI lands her in jail (and on YouTube). Her long-suffering boyfriend calls it quits after posting bail; her supervisor suspends her from her job until she gets the help she’s been doling out to others."