Review of The Wackness (2008) by Remote G — 27 Jan 2011

By Oliver Downes for remotegoat on 01/07/08.

Outside the cinema, a young bespeckled man is handing out complimentary packs of rolling papers. To the promoters: way to be subtle there guys! Good strategy though, as after viewing 'The Wackness', a wonderfully nostalgic coming of age film soaked with hip-hop and an awful lot of dope, it's difficult not to have a hankering to put them to good use. As Dr Jeffrey Squires M.D. declares, "never trust anyone who doesn't smoke dope or listen to Bob Dylan" - or Notorious BIG for that matter.

It's New York and the sweltering summer of 1994 is just the cherry on top of high-school loner and small-time pot-dealer Luke's (Joshua Peck) dejected cake. As Giuliani's drive to 'clean up' the city heats up, the future stretches out in front of him with aimless vacancy, the only glimmer in the tunnel being his irascible shrink and client Dr Squires' step-daughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). Meanwhile, Squires (Ben Kingsley), an ex-hippy whose wild lust for life has been slowly suffocated by faux-respectability and an unhappy marriage, erupts into a gloriously messy mid-life crisis, dragging Luke along for the ride.

Let's be clear: 'The Wackness' is certainly nothing groundbreaking, rife with cliches about seizing the day and living life to the fullest. However, this doesn't really matter, first time writer/director Jonathan Levine having produced a script that elevates the story with a bubbling infusion of quirky humour and genuine pathos. The idiosyncratic 90s lingo that peppers the dialogue doesn't hurt either, aight.

Although the film could be accused of looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses - mostly because it does - this doesn't feel unwarranted. Rather it's a work of wistful longing for a New York that has since vanished, its appealing story told with compassion and gentle wit. All in all, pretty dope.