In the summer of 1994, the streets of New York are pulsing with the sounds of hip hop and the sweet, sweet aroma of marijuana. Luke (Josh Peck) is a socially uncomfortable teenage pot dealer, with no friends, who trades weed for some sessions with his therapist, Dr. Squires (the great Ben Kingsley).
Dr. Squires, whose much-younger wife (Famke Janssen) is slipping away, joins Luke on a quest to get laid. The duo traverse New York, meeting some of Luke’s ‘business associates’ – a dreadlocked pixie (Mary-Kate Olsen), a New Wave keyboard-playing one-hit-wonder, and his dealer (Method Man). Luke, meanwhile, has a massive crush on Squires’ step-daughter (Juno’s Olivia Thirlby).
The best thing about The Wackness is that any effort made to keep things interesting and artistic is displayed up there on the screen. The gleaming visuals, the period lingo, the elements of fantasy (the sidewalk slabs that light up like a disco dance floor) – all create a sense of atmosphere and a personal vision of New York City in the summer of 1994. The film carves its own identity.
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The Amerindie annals are over-full of withdrawn male loners hoping to quirk or cathart themselves out of teenage purgatory. But like "Donnie Darko," "Thumbsucker" and a few others, The Wackness treads this familiar terrain with assurance and distinction.
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It's not quite da bomb, but this nostalgic throwback to the recent past still has enough phat acting (especially from Sir Ben) and slammin' scenes to seem both fly and fresh. Worth catching? Damn skippy.
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The movie he (Josh Peck) is in, The Wackness, written and directed by Jonathan Levine, makes a good-faith effort to steer clear of such clichés, and succeeds and fails in roughly equal measure.
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What saves this movie, which won this year's audience award at Sundance, from being boring are performances by two actors who see a chance to go over the top and aren't worried about the fall on the other side.
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This hazy coming-of-age story is thoroughly charming. It's a fun, dreamy and unique cinema experience that I recommend.
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Emulating its hero's recklessly independent spirit, The Wackness aspires to be something more than your average psychiatrist-bashing, dysfunctional-parents coming-of-age dramedy à la "Running With Scissors." It snows us with more visual flash than it knows what to do with.
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A tightly packed entertainment. It explodes through familiar teen-transition territory with dark ironies, but, all the while, touches are sentiments.
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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.
Full review
A smart, occasionally charming and often very funny little film. If you were a fan of Juno or Garden State, you will be very happy to have seen it.
Full reviewThe Wackness is available to stream in New Zealand now on Apple TV.
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