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| Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: July 3, 2008 |
Starring:
Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby
Summary:
The Wackness centers on a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro--a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires, a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes that Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depression. (Sony Picture Classics)
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Nostalgic for those bad old days, The Wackness was shot at a time when it actually looked like "America's Mayor" was going to be in a position to perform a similar cleanup on the entire country. That, of course, turned out to be a pipe dream.
Not everything in The Wackness works and there are times when the divergent serious/comedic tones clash instead of complementing each other. However, in spite of its flaws, the production gets us to care about the characters and their situations.
A deeply personal coming-of-age story steeped in heady nostalgia and all the creative myopia that too often comes with it.
The Wackness may not have much that's new to say about being 17--it's a fairly standard coming-of-age drama with a couple of noteworthy performances--but it's a definitive compendium of trivia about 1994 (by Levine's lights, the best year ever).
An unlikely buddy comedy that comes to life whenever Kingsley appears - he doesn't so much steal the show as roll it into a fat blunt and smoke it.
Occasionally stumbles into charm but more often is just wayward and hazy. It makes you hungry for a real movie from writer-director Jonathan Levine.
Jan 11, 2009
This movie was my life. I love it! Josh did a great role.
2 of 2 users found this helpful
Mar 13, 2009
This movie is nearly perfect. Quiet, unassuming, and brilliantly true to itself. Outstanding on every level.
1 of 2 users found this helpful
Jul 24, 2008
Josh Peck delivers a stereotype-busting performance in The Wackness. He shows himself to be an actor versus a child star. Ben Kingsley is awesome as usual.
1 of 1 users found this helpful
Jul 28, 2008
0 of 0 users found this helpful
Dec 28, 2008
The acting is terrific, but it is a rather dreary story. Well written, nicely edited and directed. The characters are well developed. I can't see how on earth this can be classified as a comedy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
Jul 23, 2008
6 at best and being generous the kid was quite entertaining but ben kinsgley was a bit overdone in the role, my girlfriend loved it though thought ben was stupendous.
0 of 1 users found this helpful
Feb 8, 2009
Vulgar, crude, dark, not funny and unredeeming; overacted, not funny. Did I say not funny? One dimensional characters stuck in a pointless and bad movie. Women are treated stereotypically and poorly. But, the popcorn was good.
0 of 4 users found this helpful
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