Enchorde

(2013-05-20 03:06:39)

Odd characters lift a peculiar movie

Recap: Luke is depressed, kind of loner, virgin and worrying about hisparents constant arguing and financial troubles. So he goes to see ashrink, Dr Jeffrey Squires, who fortunately for Luke accepts marijuana,something Luke as a small time dealer got plenty of, as payment fortheir sessions. Problem is, Squires is probably just as depressed asLuke. His marriage is practically over and he has lost touch with hiswife completely. He is also depressed over his lost youth and uses tomuch prescription drugs. The both of them form an odd friendship, notclear who is the adult one. And finally Luke falls for Squiresstepdaughter, Stephanie.Comments: A peculiar movie, mostly with the characteristics of a dramabut quite a few elements of an odd humor and comedy in it. Especiallythe character of Squires and his manners are often both irrational andabsurd, and oddly funny. Not at all a movie that I laughed at, or with,but a movie that I couldn't help smiling at at times.Josh Peck plays the lead as Luke, but it is the veteran Ben Kingsleythat really steals the show as Squires. It is indeed an odd character,but somehow he manages to pull it off as completely believable, anddespite his massive faults, someone I actually sympathized with. Thecharacter of Squires and Kingsley's portrayal of him makes it all worthseeing this movie, even though the other parts are a bit slow.Something to see on a slow day.6/10

(2013-05-19 15:36:08)

The Wackness

THE STORY: Luc Shapiro is a teenage drug dealer in Manhattan, circa 1994. He is friends with his pot smoking shrink, and wants his step daughter. THE GOOD: The music in the film is great. It's the kind of music you never hear in movies. Also, the acting is great. Ben Kingsley makes a very unbelievable character on the page, very believable on screen. Also, Olivia Thirlby is gorgeous. THE OKAY: The story is very formulaic and it definitely feels 'Sundance'y. It's a cliche 'coming of age' tale and it really does nothing new with that.THE BAD: Famke Jansen has nothing to do in this movie, but she still sucks. Every time she's on screen, the movie comes to a halt.GRADE: Rent It.

zepher523

(2013-05-17 16:26:11)

The Dopeness

I have been looking forward to seeing this film since I first heardabout it. The first thing that attracted it to me was that Josh Peckwas in it. I never thought he was a good actor but in the preview Ithought he looked experienced. Then I saw that Ben Kingsley was in itand I knew I had to give it a look.The Wackness is about a depressed teenager who is treated badly byalmost everyone he knows. To cope with this Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck)sells weed. One of his clients is a psychotherapist. Dr. Squires (BenKingsley) trades his company to Shapiro for weed. Shapiro tries to findways to cope with his life and Squires tells him that he needs a girl.Shapiro then falls for Dr. Squire's daughter, which adds a bunch of newemotions into the plot.This is movie is a roller coaster of emotions and is a good movie aboutthe life of a depressed teenager. Josh Peck and Ben Kingsley make themovie with their brilliant acting, but Olivia Thirlby is just as good.I encourage everyone to give this movie a look. I'm glad I did and I'msure you will be too.[7/10]

always-write

(2013-05-17 08:56:54)

Take a Wack...

I saw a screening of The Wackness the other night at the LA FilmFestival and was so pleasantly surprised. Being a film buff who watchesa ton of movies, I tend to be skeptical (Yes, even if it did win theAudience Award at Sundance) before watching just about anything thesedays. But out of the gate, I found myself excited to experience*SPOILER WARNING* the summer of 1994 in NYC with Luke Shapiro, anuncool but still pretty cool in my book high school graduate/weeddealer, played by Josh Peck. Throughout the film, his interactions with his shrink, Dr. Squires,played by the great Sir Ben Kingsley, make the movie worth watching initself. Most of their exchanges are hilarious, while other times youfeel like you're part of a special moment, and hope that nobody sittingnear you sees that little tear building up in the corner of your eye.What writer/director Jonathan Levine does so well in this film is heimplements a perfect balance of emotions so that just when you thinkit's about to get cheesy, the tone shifts and we find out that we werebeing played with a bit, in a really good way. But without giving too much else away, the last thing I think is worthmentioning is that the one thing this movie does that most movies inthis category don't do is it takes those clichГѓВ© devices that we've seenso many times before and twists them into a refreshingly fun set ofcircumstances that are unique and (sometimes embarrassingly) relatable.A very solid movie with great acting all around (not surprisingconsidering the cast) and a gem in the rubble of crap that's beingthrown at us these days. And if you like rap circa 1994 you'llappreciate the music selections.*No, I have nothing to do with this movie in any way (although I kindof wish I did), I just happened to like it a lot. Check it.

(2013-05-14 13:27:20)

People who said this was wack...did not understand the movie

I just finished watching this movie...gotta say it was on point.The older man learns from the young man and vice versa. The two were almost the same but at different points in life.The older man searches for his youth and love from his wife knowing that he will never find it again, while the young man wants to gain love and a place to fit in but cannot find it.They are the same as both are trying to run away from similar issues, such as the older man not getting what he needs from his marriage and the young man not getting what he needs from his parents. The moral: life is too short to worry about things that get you down. Don't let lifes roadblocks keep you from happiness as these issues are only short, albeit, painful moments that we (men and women) all will go through.You probably will not understand unless you see the movie. Josh Peck and Ben Kingsley give outstanding performances. If you are on the fence about buying it give it a rent...however...it is worth the buy!Those who thought this was wack (thats wack not wacked)...missed the whole point.

(2013-05-14 03:14:13)

great film

a good film for all those unlikely outsiders...it's funny to finally be of an age where people are making coming of age stories about my youth. An ideal film for those who found themselves growing up in the mid 90's. Very funny, very honest, very much in touch with itself. You will most certainly find value here. Enjoy.

dutchbeats

(2013-05-11 20:41:45)

Indie Fo Sho

I couldn't quite find a word to describe this movie but after readingthe other reviews I guess 'indie' would sum it up. This way I won'tfeel guilty about appreciating how kinda crappy it is(i saidappreciate!). I am a fan of the 70's trash, 'so bad it's awesome' genreand in a way, this is very much like that. It's trying so very hard tobe cool but misses the mark entirely, which is actually what I likeabout it! There are many faux pas in translating not only the scriptbut the 90's to the big screen here(and 90's hip-hop is all sampledfrom funky 70's music which makes me think there might be a resurgenceof 'trash' flicks all of which try to relive the 90's butfail....hmmmmm, would be nice). Anyway kind of amateur and pretentiouswhile at the same time big(er) budget which are all key ingredients forgood trash, er, I mean indie. Something about the dis-jointed directingand lack of belief of the actors in their own roles makes this anart-house winner in my books(plus i was 18 and very heavily immersed ineast coast hip-hop in 1994!). Like any good Miles Davis Jazz/Rockfusion song, you feel held hostage for the duration, but the textureand awkwardness of it all keeps you watching(plus you might seesomething cool you haven't seen anywhere else). The cinematography isthe film's saving grace, dark and ominous with some beautiful scenes.Check it yo!

(2013-05-11 06:53:03)

Awsomeeeee!!!!!!!

Great movie, Ben kingsley is great and Olivia T is the most beautiful girl in the world.The cinematograhy is awsome, its beautifully shot.

ericjams

(2013-05-10 14:27:42)

Left Me Feeling Quite Melancholy, but Satisfied

The Wackness is an extremely difficult movie to figure out. On onehand, writer/director Jon Levine paints a captivating story around thefriendship of two identifiable protagonists in depressed teenage drugdealer Luke Shapiro, played by an up-to-the-task Josh Peck, andeccentric shrink, Dr. Squires, played by a barely up to the task BenKingsley. On the other hand, the script itself struggles to find a tonelargely fumbling the 1994 NYC setting and ultimately dabbling with darkcomedy, philosophy 101, and drug/party filled 90s teenage musingswithout really nailing down any thematic voice. The movie does succeedin escaping its hazy plot lines and sophomoric personalities withseveral great one-liners, some decent character development, and aconclusion that left me satisfied but nevertheless a bit sad --which isnot a bad thing. Of the 80% filled NYC theater I saw it in, 10 peoplewalked out, the rest applauded at the end. Its that kind of movie. One of the biggest problems with the movie is its failure to use the1994 New York City setting to its fullest. As a product of this timeand place I felt cheated because Mr. Levine chooses to exploit tid-bitsof the culture without ever really showing any substance. We hearreferences to Kurt Cobain and Phish, we see Luke playing Nintendo NES,we hear a good selection of Biggie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Tribe CalledQuest and several references to the Guliani gestapo police, but Levinefailed to create a teenage period piece to rival Dazed and Confused,Kids, or Mallrats to name a few more recent ones. The cinematography isgood, and adds a vintage type feel to the NYC background, but as acultural snapshot of a time in NYC history, this movie falls flat. However, Levine was perhaps preoccupied with a greater goal than aperiod piece. Shapiro and Dr. Squires are not easy characters tosupport. Shapiro is a bulk sales weed dealer, with no friends, and astunted sex life. I think many people will be able to relate to himeither directly or indirectly and will enjoy following his teenage"coming of age" tribulations as I did. Kingsley, as Squires, has atough role and at times plays the stoner shrink as though he has earlyonset Alzheimer's disease. Its not an easy role, his character is awalking contradiction who mixes decent psychological advice withoccasional moments of idiocy. At times he nails it down, at others hecomes across as the drunk uncle at Thanksgiving dinner that we are alla bit embarrassed for, but this was probably Levine's intention. Amidstwriting that ebbed and flowed at a mediocre level, the dialog betweenShapiro and Squires had some knock outs and worked its way up to asatisfying conclusion. The peripheral characters perform admirably whenasked, except for Famke Jannsen who failed to show up for her role asSquires' numb to life wife. If you have ever turned to the recreational consumption of drugs or anyother vice as an escape from life or to just 'deal' with life, you willfind both Shapiro and Squires much much much more sympathetic and insome ways touching characters. The story of the young Shapiro and oldSquires blends the themes of 'soothing your growing pains through drugs(mostly marijuana)' versus the 'trying to go back to your youth andescape your adulthood' through drugs. People who can appreciate orrelate to such plot lines will find this movie much more touching thanthose who cant.

p-stepien

(2013-05-09 23:45:15)

What's so whack about it?

1994. Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) has just finished high-school. Not withhonours. Actually he is more engaged with selling good dope to reallyfocus on studying. As every teenager he has issues, but fortunately oneof his clients is Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley), a qualifiedpsychotherapist. In exchange for some good doobie he gets analysed forfree. TO complicate matters he is deeply hooked on Kristin Squires(Famke Jannsen), the good doctor's stepdaughter. Add to that the factthat his parents argue with each other like babies and basically thisis supposed to be a classic coming of age story.But I just don't get it. The accolades. The audience awards. The highscore. The only award I understand is the Razzie given to Ben Kingsley(how the mighty have fallen). The script is extremely pretentious andweakly crafted. Josh Peck does a good job as the dopeseller, but heseems constantly out of it. The remaining cast seem superficial andmost situations are just superfluous, unnecessary and random.And one more thing: In what way is this movie a comedy? What exactly isthere to laugh at? Maybe I didn't catch something on my radar, but asfar as I'm concerned this is a trashy movie, which is pretending to beway smarter than it actually is.

tieman64

(2013-05-03 07:47:07)

Underrated stoner flick

Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness" stars Josh Peck as Luke, a Manhattanteen growing up in a mid 1990s New York. Levine's tone is one ofnostalgic romanticism, with its washed out visual palette, sun-flares,slow-mo sequences and lyrical camera-work. Trinkents of 1994 arelittered about (mix tapes, hip-hop tracks, 90s fashion, cumbersomestreet vending cars, Biggie, Method Man, VHS, our hero who blows airinto the bottom of his Nintendo cartridge), such that the film at timesfeels like, say, a filmed version of the Smashing Pumkin's 1979; an odeto adolescence lost. This is a pre-Giuliani New York, before mayoralmuscle cleaned up the streets and gentrified the colourful city.The plot? Luke's a troubled teen who sells drugs from his vending cart.One of his clients is Jeff Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychologist towhom he sells weed in exchange for therapy sessions. Both charactersturn to drugs, sex and booze as a means of escaping what Luke calls"The Wackness", the tribulations of their daily lives. Both eventually,however, opt to live lives which joyfully take in the good with thebad, a clean up effort which is mirrored to Giuliani's purging of NewYork City and Times Square. Much of the film revolves around Luke's budding romance with Stephanie(Olivia Thirlby), Squires' stepdaughter. He's rejected by her, butlearns to embrace this wackness rather than nosediving further into aplacating haze of marijuana. Many of Squire's speeches equate sex withdrug addiction, and the film even goes so far as to equate the wackness– bad stuff which happens – with a failure to score, be it sexually ora stash of drugs. If all humans are creatures of addiction, Luke muses,governed by biochemical rushes, then maybe the wackness is a goodthing. Nobody wants to be high all the time.While its tone is handled better (or more interestingly) than istypical of this genre – nice near-sepia cinematography, 90s streetslang, another weird performance by Kingsley, a coming of age plotwhich juggles well sap and heart – it's actor Josh Peck who makes thefilm work. Peck's a troubled child actor who's himself battling obesityand drug addiction problems. With his forlorn eyes, mouth breathing,odd facial mannerisms, unconventional style of line-reading, mix ofvulnerability, depression and his sexily wounded puppy-dog look, thefilm wouldn't work at all without him.8.5/10 – Worth one viewing.

KyDRoH

(2013-05-02 17:43:57)

Great Movie with a Great Story

Looking at the movie from a cast stand point i wasn't impressed butmore curious how people like Josh Peck Evolve in to a character likethis. But i must say that he has really grown up from his Nick days andreally has the acting together. It's only weird to see how Josh issmoking in this movie and deals drugs coming from his kid days but hereally pulled it off.With the help of actors like Ben Kingsley en Famke Janssen (who is bythe way Dutch)this movie gets a great feeling of a story developing andin some way making Kingsley suicidal like. With these elements you canfeel the way Luke goes through life and actually see him grow him up alittle bit.Overall it was a great movie to enjoy when you really want a good storyand a little bit of a 1994 feeling. With a little bit of the hip hopscene and even a walk men which i thought was great in put to the 1994scene.

hfeldst

(2013-05-02 00:29:04)

Has It's Charms

An Indie favorite from this year's Sundance Festival, "The Wackness" is a snapshot of NYC during the summer of 1994, seen through the eyes of Luke, a teenage drug dealer just trying to get by. Luke is a white middle class 18 year old trying to find himself in the short time between high school and college. He deals pot for a living and looks for meaning through visits with his shrink, played by Ben Kingsley. Framed by a great rap soundtrack, we follow Luke, played by Josh Peck (all grown up now) through his life pursuing the girl of his dreams, Stephanie, played by Olivia Thirlby. Mr. Kingsley has lots of fun with the role of Dr. Squires, a shrink who is in dire need of his own analysis, taking pot as payment from Luke's sessions. The film soon turns into a twisted kind of buddy comedy between the two and there are some very funny moments. This is a fond remembrance to New York when it was both "dope" and "wack" and aheartfelt glimpse of a young man finding himself.

ron grincewicz

(2013-05-01 16:24:15)

Great Movie!!

I was so delightfully surprised by this movie. It was very realistic. The screenplay is excelent and the acting superb. I can see why it won the audience award at Sundance. I hope the Academy recognizes Ben Kingsley at Oscar season. He was so incredibly convincing, and it wasn't an easy role. I highly recommend it.

reelinspiration

(2013-04-30 08:20:25)

A Different Kind of Meaningful

Since I started writing reviews of inspiring, meaningful films for ReelInspiration, I've struggled with whether to review films with sex,drugs and violence. I realize this content puts some people off and Idon't like to do that. However, these issues are a real part of manypeople's life journeys. And people find inspiration in many differentplaces."The Wackness" is a perfect example of this dilemma. On the one hand,it is a sweet coming of age story dealing with being disappointed withyour parents and with love. On the other hand, the main character, LukeShapiro, is (gasp!) a drug dealer. The original twist, is that Luke'spsychiatrist is one of his best costumers. (Audible gasp!)As the film started, I shuffled uneasily in my seat. This is the kindof film that makes parents (like me) uncomfortable as they contemplatetheir own teen getting high and having sex. However, the teens in theaudience seemed to relate to it. It occurred to me that it must be lifeaffirming to see your experiences reflected on the screen - especiallythose your parents don't accept.Josh Peck portrays the drug dealer as a sympathetic character. The filmsubtly shows the negative ramifications of being a teenage drug dealer.His customers appreciate the drugs, but they never accept the supplierinto their party crowd. He is always on the outside. Sex and drugs playan important part of the theme. It seems that the characters can't copewith everyday stress and frustration without self medicating withbooze, drugs, or sex. His psychologist (Ben Kingsley living the role)encourages Luke not to numb his pain with prescription drugs, but,"Embrace your pain. Make it a part of you." This is reminiscent of"Garden State" where the excessive drug use reflected the same theme. The drug use and casual sex may make some people uncomfortable, butthis is an important theme for our time. If viewed with a open mind,this may be a good opportunity for parents to discuss these issues withtheir teens.Movie blessings! Jana Segal reelinspiration dot blogspot dot com

(2013-04-29 15:00:03)

dont do it

please don't do it, and if you do, remember I told you so. Then send me some money cause your stupid

prima-angkasa

(2013-04-25 16:55:06)

Excellent movie

****************SPOLERALERT********************************************First time I show this movie, I am falling in love to this movie. Youngteen, Luke Saphiro (play brilliantly by Josh Peck), smart, goodlooking, what wrong with him? Nothing except he is a dug dealer. Howcome at young age he become drug dealer. Even he is an active boy, heis shy, never has courage to tell his feeling to a girl. Never involvewith a girl before. Luke Saphiro goes to a psychotherapist, Dr. Squires. He pays DR Squireswith drug, because the doctor is also a drug addicted. Soon they becomefriend, and someday, Luke fall in love with Dr.Squires stepdaughter,Stephanie. after that there are a separate story, broken heart story. All in thegood plot. What I love about this movie, the way Luke express himself,He is not pretend that everything OK. he is not pretend that he is ahappy teen, He just do what he want to do.

(2013-04-25 07:41:17)

The Wackness: dope enough for your money.

This review is from: The Wackness (DVD) I definitely enjoyed The Wackness. The cast was superbly chosen, but some members were underused. I especially enjoyed the performances by Josh Peck (Luke) and Olivia Thirlby (Stephanie). The script was good, but not revelatory. The lighting in the scenes were brilliant. It's not a new favorite, but I would recommend it to my friends if for nothing else but the great soundtrack and the underlying tone it has about growing older.

Jimi Sunshine

(2013-04-22 16:04:31)

wonderful. . . a must see. . . and, to quote my mother, "extraordinary"

This film was everything a movie should be. Great direction, acting,writing, and everything else! The acting was superb. Josh Peck reallyshowed that not only is he a wonderful comical actor, but he is anincredible dramatic actor, as well. He was just perfect in this role,and he was able to carry the film with ease. Hopefully we will beseeing a whole lot more of this actor, for he has given thebreakthrough performance of the year. Ben Kingsly was, as usual, great.He provides a comical character and creates a character soentertaining, you can't help but smile once he appears on screen.Olivia Thirlby worked very well as Peck's love interest, and Mary-KateOlsen showed that she has the potential to break away from her childstar mold and start a promising film career.And while some reviews expressed that the use of 1994 (the year thefilm takes place in) and all the references to that time were annoying,I found them quite funny and enjoyed such references as mentions of a90210 episode that I recently watched! The story of a drug-dealing teen's relationship with his shrink/clientand his relationship with the shrink's daughter is a truly enthrallingone. It felt much shorter than is was and I hope to see it again soon!I loved everything about this film and hope that it becomes theindependent film that makes it big this year, just as Juno did lastyear! It definitely deserves high praise!

(2013-04-21 19:18:12)

Great Movie

This was an excellent movie. If you're into Hip hop, drugs, alcohol, sex, and Movie Stars then this is your movie. Josh Peck (Drake and Josh) did a outstanding job playing his role, Ben Kingsly (Sexy Beast) is still at his best, and Olivia Thirlby (Juno) plays her role to the 'T'. It is fun to watch if you can stomach the content. This is definitely a teen's movie.