film wackness

Story, set in 1994, centers on a troubled teenage drug dealer and a drug-addled psychiatrist -- after the former trades pot for therapy sessions, then falls for the doctor's daughter
- IMDb.com

In the sweltering summer of 1994, Giuliani is scouring New York City within an inch of its life, hip-hop is permeating white youth culture, and a pot-dealing loser kid, Luke Shapiro, is trying to figure out how to solve his parents’ insolvency, beat depression, and get laid before pushing off to college. Luckily he’s got a nifty deal with a psychiatrist, Dr. Squires, who trades him therapy sessions for weed. It happens that the oddball doctor’s marriage is crumbling, so the two—one in late adolescence, the other in late middle-age—embark on messy passages into new life stages. As Luke falls for a classmate who just happens to be Squires’s daughter, the summer heats up, and he follows doctor’s orders, learning to coexist with pain and make it part of him, rather than let it become his downfall.

The Wackness plays like the luscious rush of first love, discovering great new music, meeting amazing personalities who impart the meaning of life, and realizing what you’re made of. Perfectly capturing the textures of 1990s Manhattan and the zeitgeist of worldly, yet emotionally unformed, private-school students forced to parent their parents, director Jonathan Levine conveys a whimsy, too—buoyed by the dazzlingly funny Ben Kingsley and unexpected stylistic flourishes—that gives the film’s insights and idiosyncrasies big, glorious, flapping wings.
–Sundance Film Guide

Pr: Joe Neurauter, Keith Calder, Felipe Marino
Ci: Petra Korner
Ed: Josh Noyes
Mu: David Torn

Sundance Movie Review: The Wackness
Posted on Saturday, January 19th, 2008 at 4:39 am by: Peter Sciretta

Every year at Sundance I see a film during the first weekend that I absolutely fall in love with. Because it's only the opening weekend, I try not to claim that a film is the best of this year's festival. But usually my emotions win out and I make such a claim in a non-direct kind of way, which may explain this opening paragraph. Because this year The Wackness is that film.

Jonathan Levine's second feature is set in the hot summer of 1994, when gangsta rap was beginning to penetrate into mainstream culture and a young depressed drug-dealer named Luke (Josh Peck in a career making performance) sets off on a journey to get laid before he goes off to college. Problem is that Luke is a combination loser/loner (what I like to call - "Loneser"). His only friend is his oddball psychiatrist Dr. Squires (a Harvey Keitel-looking Ben Kingsley) is suffering from a late-middle age crisis, and takes pot for trade for therapy sessions. Luke falls in love with Squires' step-daughter Stephanie (Juno's sexy supporting star Olivia Thirlby), while Dr. Squires makes out with a hippied-out Mary-Kate Olsen (yuck) in a phone booth.

The Wackness has the polish of a hip music video with the rawness of a gritty documentary. Imagine if Michael Bay shot a dramatic indie film. The Squid and the Whale for the NES generation, filled with Sex, Drugs and Rap music. The film perfectly captures the mood of the early to mid 90's, referencing anything and everything from gameboys to Biggie Smalls, Giuliani's overhaul of New York City to the fantastic 90's compilation soundtrack. Levine takes chances, intercutting fantastical dream and musical sequences with a realistic dramatic story.

The Wackness is such a refreshing take on the coming-of-age story. Jonathan Levine has solidified himself as a solid next gen filmmaker, following in the talents of Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, and Wes Anderson. See Kingsley like you've never seen him before, and Olivia Thirlby in her first breakout leading role. While this movie might not be as easily accessible as Little Miss Sunshine or Juno, the film will strike a strong connection with it's targeted demographic (which I just so happen to fit into). The Wackness is the film to see at this year's Sundance, and is already an early contender for this year's top 10.

/Film Rating: 9 out of 10