This is not a blog about breasts
THE WACKNESS (Blu Ray, 2008)
When asked about women, the old dude from THE WEDDING SINGER said, “they rip your heart out of your ass.” While that’s a completely awesome statement on many levels, at its heart, it’s kinda true. Ladies, how about for the sake of this review we take the above statement and apply it to dudes as well so we can all play along. Cool?
I just got watching a film called THE WACKNESS, and though there are many layers to the film, one message that the film beautifully drives home is that we all get our hearts broken at one time or another. It’s a rite of passage that helps shape the men and women we eventually become. If you say you haven’t experienced this you’re either completely socially retarded, evil, or a fucking liar.
I imagine a lot of people my age would dig on this movie because it’s set in 1994. For me, ’94 was my first year of high school. I smoked weed for the first time, discovered cooler music than what was fed to us on the radio, and dropped the video game controller to chase women. In THE WACKNESS, Luke Shapiro is a pot dealer with no friends. He isn’t a loser, or an outcast, he’s just that guy only called upon you call when someone wants weed. Shapiro is graduating from high school in New York City, and trying to figure out what the next step is. Dr. Jeffrey Squires, a psychiatrist played by Ben Kingsley is one of Shapiro’s biggest customers. But their exchanges are unique because instead of money, Shapiro gives Squires pot in exchange for therapy. Out of these sessions, the two form an unlikely friendship, further complicated when Shapiro ends up falling in love with the therapist’s stepdaughter.
All Shapiro wants is some companionship, and when Squires’ daughter Stephanie (played by the lovely Olivia Thirlby—JUNO’S best friend), begins to give him that by showing an interest in what he does for a living, the two click and begin a sort of summer of love thing. Meanwhile, Squires is in a dead marriage that he’s too frightened to leave, with a wife who’s just as medicated as he is. Squires looks to Shapiro as his way to relive his wasted youth and take the young buck under his wing. What’s hilarious is neither character is qualified to be giving any life advice to one another, but the do and in their own strange way end up helping each other more than they could have imagined. One of my favorite moments between the characters is when they exchange “mix tapes” of music from their generations. I know I’m guilty of making dozens of these for friends and girls I was crushing on. Watching Ben Kingsley discover Biggie Smalls is worth the price of admission alone.
That’s another thing, you all are going to flip when you hear some of the 1994 tracks on display here. Everything from Tribe Called Quest to that fucking Bump and Grind song. I have to say I had to take a moment when I realized all of that music is from 15 years ago, and that time is actually considered “period piece” filmmaking now. I was very impressed with the soundtrack. One theme that sort of snails through the entire film is all of the characters talking about this Notorious B.I.G. guy who’s apparently going to revolutionize rap. Cool stuff.
I loved this movie. I really did. I’m a sucker for films that really speak to complex relationships, and complex characters who are all trying to figure out how to live life. Unfortunately, when these films roll along they’re usually bogged down or ruined by being too schmaltzy or cheesy or just plain obvious. Not the case with THE WACKNESS. Every frame in this film is sincere. All of the performances (especially by Josh Peck as Luke) are fantastic. You care about most of these people, and want them all to make it out on the other side unscathed. The film also strikes a perfect balance of being very funny, sad and sometimes touching. There’s drama at play, but it never gets too dramatic, and every once in awhile when it feels like the boat is going to tip, something happens that centers the film again and makes you smile. But as I mentioned above, this is definitely a film about heartbreak.
I hope you give this one a spin. It’s a gem of a movie that got lost in the shuffle during the summer of 2008. The assholes at Sony Pictures Classics released this around the same time as THE DARK KNIGHT. A shame really, because when you watch it you realize it probably could have found an audience. It isn’t too indie to put off the average moviegoer, and it’s guaranteed to make you jump on itunes and rediscover some old music that used to be part of your life. Enjoy.
THE WACKNESS: 9 out of 10
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