The Way Back

Actors bouncing back in their careers from either bumpy wrong choices they made in their past roles or personal troubles getting in their way isn't new in modern day Hollywood. The results of these comebacks can sometimes bring a jolt of life to the screens they are on or possibly sink them into obscurity. A famous example of this done right would be Robert Downey Jr who excelled as Tony Stark/Iron Man role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after recovering from his drug problems. In this case, we'll focus on another actor who has dealt with both sides of that: Ben Affleck. One notable downfall that took him sometime to rise back was how Gigli (2003) tremendously damaged his standing as an actor. Thankfully his work on The Town helped boost him back up but the behind the scenes DC productions and personal drama lead him to rehab for alcoholism. This leads us to his latest film, The Way Back, that sees him working again with director Gavin O'Conner (The Accountant) in a project reflecting on his recent personal troubles. The marketing campaign seemed fairly straightforward for the drama genre it was aiming for. The film was briefly in theaters for a few weeks in March before the COVID-19 pandemic pulled it out of the big screen and into digital release. I rented The Way Back on Amazon to watch it as part of my 2020 movie catch-up and ended up enjoying it, even though it's nothing groundbreaking. 

What's it about? The story follows an alcoholic construction worker who's recruited as head coach of a basketball team at his old high school (where he thrived in that game) while dealing with past emotional trauma. On paper, this is nothing new as a slightly overused sports coach plot of a struggling team. However, this separates itself from those films by focusing the majority of its time on the main protagonist drama instead of showing a good chunk of time on the players themselves. The emphasis on his struggle to maintain some recovery from his alcoholism is sad to watch and details about his life slowly reveals themselves throughout, which can spell doom for a potential relapse. The ending goes in a different direction than those familiar typical sport flicks that's very bittersweet.

For those hoping for a compelling treatment of the basketball side might want to look for another movie because the ratio on the alcoholic storyline versus that of the teams players is 65-35 (or 70-30). The games themselves aren't shown a whole lot (most of the time showing glimpses of them followed by the score outcome) except for a few. The players themselves aren't fleshed out much as only one of them is given primary with a few of the others only given a moment or two. Even the team dynamic doesn't feel that lively or even earned by the end, which makes sense due to how that aspect is benched off-screen here.

 

How are the actors? In regards to story importance, the actor to focus on is Ben Affleck. Considering how much of a personal project this is for Affleck, his excellent performance here is the main thing holding this film together (definitely one of his best). His subtle reaction to updates on his characters personal life is given in appropriate doses and his mannerisms around alcohol is depressing to watch (to the point where he can't even go through his normal shower routine with having a beer in his shower rack). It's interesting how aggressive he is in this role between his frustrations about his past and yelling/cursing at these teenagers to be better. Honorable mentions go to Al Madrigal and Janina Gavankar for giving good performances in their respective supporting roles.

 

Overall Consensus: The Way Back takes an overused genre formula into a different focus that thrives off of Ben Affleck's excellent performance, the emotional weight of the sad drama, and a bittersweet telling of a personal story, despite how undercooked the sport aspect is. ⭑⭑⭑⭑* Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes R

*: If the COVID-19 pandemic wasn't a factor, I would give it a viewing recommendation of 💻

 

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Gavin O'Connor. You enjoy dramas that mix in sports arcs and real personal issues (not having an issue leaning more towards the latter than the former). You want to see an alcoholic story that isn't given a sugar-coated Hollywood treatment. You don't mind bittersweet endings that are slightly unpredictable. 

 

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors and/or director Gavin O'Connor. You dislike dramas that mix in sports arcs and real personal issues. You don't want to see an alcoholic stories in general.