The Wackness review
While his debut, a teen slasher film called All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, remains unreleased in the US, director Jonathon Levine kept busy. And this, a brilliant, sun-drenched coming-of-age story starring Ben Kingsley as a stoner shrink, is the result.
Kingsley’s Dr Squires counsels the young drug dealer Luke (Josh Peck), who pays for his sessions with his product. Just out of high school and with the rest of his life ahead of him, Luke spends the intervening summer selling marijuana and pining for Squries’ step-daughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thrilby).
The Wackness is a film that you can’t help but think is based on the director’s experience. And Levin says that it is, to a point – while he didn’t sell pot and have Sir Ben for a psychiatrist, he has said, “the Stephanie character is a composite of a few different ladies who broke up with [him]”.
It’s this aspect of first love lost in the film that strikes a real emotional chord, no doubt down to it’s rooting in truth. Josh Peck breaks out of the kids TV ghetto and plays his clichéd role of angsty teen with a freshness and honesty that keeps him interesting.
Surprisingly, it’s our own Sir Ben Kingsley that is a real revelation. Continuing to push himself after Sexy Beast, Squires is a character on a path of self-destruction, speaking with a Manhattan drawl and trying it on girls many years his senior, seemingly depserate to cheat on his wife (Famke Janssen). It seems like it shouldn’t work, and yet, it does.
And that applies to a film as a whole – how many indie American films about young love and moody teens have we seen in the past few years? – but Levine’s personal touch, retro hip-hop soundtrack, as well as the above-par performances make The Wackness stand out from the crowd.
Written for one of my classes
ask me what it's like to have myself so figured out.
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2009 | 5 hours ago 
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The Wackness review
While his debut, a teen slasher film called All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, remains unreleased in the US, director Jonathon Levine kept busy. And this, a brilliant, sun-drenched coming-of-age story starring Ben Kingsley as a stoner shrink, is the result.
Kingsley’s Dr Squires counsels the young drug dealer Luke (Josh Peck), who pays for his sessions with his product. Just out of high school and with the rest of his life ahead of him, Luke spends the intervening summer selling marijuana and pining for Squries’ step-daughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thrilby).
The Wackness is a film that you can’t help but think is based on the director’s experience. And Levin says that it is, to a point – while he didn’t sell pot and have Sir Ben for a psychiatrist, he has said, “the Stephanie character is a composite of a few different ladies who broke up with [him]”.
It’s this aspect of first love lost in the film that strikes a real emotional chord, no doubt down to it’s rooting in truth. Josh Peck breaks out of the kids TV ghetto and plays his clichéd role of angsty teen with a freshness and honesty that keeps him interesting.
Surprisingly, it’s our own Sir Ben Kingsley that is a real revelation. Continuing to push himself after Sexy Beast, Squires is a character on a path of self-destruction, speaking with a Manhattan drawl and trying it on girls many years his senior, seemingly depserate to cheat on his wife (Famke Janssen). It seems like it shouldn’t work, and yet, it does.
And that applies to a film as a whole – how many indie American films about young love and moody teens have we seen in the past few years? – but Levine’s personal touch, retro hip-hop soundtrack, as well as the above-par performances make The Wackness stand out from the crowd.
Written for one of my classes
I loved this film :)](http://11.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kur7iaCdyB1qzf1bao1_500.jpg)
