On the surface, The Way Back doesn’t jump out at you as anything special. The dramatic sports movie, much like romantic comedies, typically follows the (more or less) same path. But it’s a tried and true method, and one that continues to work time and again. But also like romantic comedies, they need something special, something unique that makes it stand out. And that’s where star Ben Affleck comes in.
The Way Back stars Affleck as Jack Cunningham, a 40-something former high school basketball superstar, now drinking his way through his life as an in-the-process-of-being-divorced construction worker. When his alma mater offers him the head coach position of the basketball team, Jack has one more – and potentially last – chance at turning his life around and finally moving on from his past.
Deeply personal
Affleck’s own personal struggles are no secret. In fact, shorty before The Way Back’s release, the New York Times published a new profile on the 47 year old actor. In it, Affleck is completely open about his own divorce, which was at least partially caused by his own drinking problems.
To see Affleck’s on-screen character go through such similar situations puts extra emotional weight on the story. Sometimes that can be a tricky line to toe. It can come off as self-aggrandizing, putting the actor above the movie. But when done correctly, it can elevate a movie to new heights. And thankfully, the latter is what The Way Back is able to achieve.
Powerhouse performance
In addition to the unique personal connection between actor and character, Affleck’s performance is simple exceptional. Many may point to Gone Girl as his best performance to date, and the case is certainly strong. But in this one humble opinion, The Way Back takes the cake.
Affleck was able to nail this role in part due to the fact that, to some extent, he lived it. Of all the things The Way Back does so well, one of the best is how accurately it portrays an alcoholic’s life. It’s not always someone who is out of work, is noticeably drunk all the time, can barely even function in day to day life. Often, it’s a person like Jack Cunningham. He drinks when he wakes up, while he showers, driving to work, at work, when he gets home from work (after drinking at the bar). Then he wakes up to do it all over again; he’s a functioning alcoholic.
And this is all incredibly heartbreaking to witness. If you know anyone who has gone through anything similar, it’s going to hit you in unexpected, but still powerful, ways. So often in movies, this kind of character would be over-the-top, many times to an almost cartoonish level. But here, it’s kept so grounded in realism. It ultimately makes it much more emotionally effective as his actions and journey are exceedingly more relatable that way.
Greatness just out of reach
Just as Jack Cunningham came up short in achieving true basketball greatness, so too does The Way Back miss out on being a truly great movie (though “very good” is of course nothing to scoff at). And that’s due to a couple creative decisions.
First is Jack’s past. We know he and his wife Angela (Janina Gavankar) are separated and heading towards a divorce. But besides that, there are some other past traumas – which we won’t spoil here – that are mentioned dealt with throughout the movie. And that would have been all well and good, had they been given the appropriate attention and development. There’s one storyline in particular, involving married friends of Jack and Angela, that feels a bit emotionally manipulative. As if Jack’s story wasn’t already sad enough, this one felt unnecessary considering how little time was ultimately devoted to it.
The second aspect that pulls it down is Jack’s team and his relationship to the players. It’s mostly good, but it felt like there was something left on the cutting room floor. We only get base level characterizations for the majority of the team. And that’s a shame because their are some fun and interesting characters there. Showing more of Jack’s connection to them, and how they affected each other, could have done wonders for the film as a whole.
Very good film fueled by its star power
Carried on the broad shoulders of star Ben Affleck, The Way Back rises above the typical sports drama cliches to bring audiences the best film of the year to date. Affleck’s deeply personal connection to the role shines through, resulting in an awards-worthy performance (it’s never to early to talk about the Oscars, right?). Filled with raw emotion, The Way Back provides plenty of heartbreak, hope, humor, and inspiration to make for one of the more compelling movie experience you’re likely to have this year.
The Verdict: 8.4/10
The Way Back is currently in playing in theaters.