Post by StevePulaski on Jul 27, 2011 21:55:39 GMT -5
Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness.
Rating: ★★★
The Wackness is anything but wack. Our protagonist is the coolest kid on the block, as he deals enough weed to supply a month's Woodstock and becomes attached to his psychiatrist whom is also a customer of his. This is a very artsy indie film that can be listed under drama, melodrama, comedy, quirky, witty, and even coming of age.
Josh Peck, the once chubby Drake & Josh star, has now evened out and is all grown up as he drops frequent f-bombs and drifted from his Nickelodeon character as far as possible. He plays Luke Shapiro, an outcast in 1994 New York City, who sells marijuana to the town to support his financially challenged family. His counselor he frequents named Dr. Jeffery Squires (Kingsley) is a soft-spoken pothead who gives Luke the oddball advice, and doesn't follow the counselor handbook very well. Luke becomes attracted to Stephanie (Thrilby) who he learns is Dr. Squires' stepdaughter. The two start hanging out, sharing secrets, and well, connecting.
Luke enjoys making mixtapes on the outdated, but retro audio cassettes for his counselor and Stephanie. The music, which is composed of mainly Nas, Notorious B.I.G., and Wu Tang Clan hip hop songs, is a huge part of The Wackness. The music sort of parallels with the film because many of the songs "speak" to the film and explain what it doesn't, if that makes any sense.
Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck could very well be one of the best duos in any film released in 2008. Their chemistry is formed from drugs and each other's unique way of giving advice. Luke's sense of love and compassion for others is formed from Stephanie's way of broadening his horizons to the world of attraction.
Right off the bat, Luke acts like the "everythings-cool-don't-mind-me-homeboy" kind of kid, when really, he is shy and just as scared as we all are of the world. Still, he never comes off as ignorant or heartless in the film. He is one of the few protagonists I really rooted for by the end of the film. And I doubt it was because I was a fan of the Nickelodeon show Josh Peck was apart of.
The Wackness is definitely an arthouse film, but it shouldn't have been. It should've been released way more mainstream. It is one of the most important coming of age films next to 2010's Flipped. It's like a sponge-cake where the cake is made up of serious drama, and the icing is made up of quirkiness. Word.
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thrilby, Famke Janssen, Method Man, and Mary-Kate Olsen. Directed by: Jonathan Levine.