Film

The Wackness (2008)

Movie review

From Short Review - NY

**** (Four stars)
Set in New York in the summer of 1994, The Wackness is writer-director Jonathan Levine's ode to his city-based formative years, which fell during this same period. The film centers on Luke (Josh Peck), a teenage drug dealer, his psychiatrist, Dr. Squires (played perfectly by Sir Ben Kingsley), and the unlikely bond they form. The first scene places the two of them in Squires's office for a seemingly normal therapy session…until Luke pays for it with a dime bag. The plot thickens when Luke falls for the shrink's floozy daughter-in-law (Olivia Thirlby). The troubled naïf splits his time during his last precollegiate summer between pursuing her and selling marijuana out of a vendor cart in hopes of helping his family through its financial difficulties. The film has a nostalgic feel to it, referencing cassette tapes, Nintendo, Reebok Pumps, Notorious B.I.G.'s emergence and the days when you could smoke a joint on the street without getting thrown in the slammer (even though Luke and Squires do actually befall this indignity). The result is a touching coming-of-age story that will make for a good escape from the summer heat (it's slated for a wide release in early July). If anything, it's worth the dough just to see Mary-Kate Olsen faux-tripping on mushrooms in Central Park. The old-school references to the NYC of our recent past give the movie character, along with the performance Josh Peck, who is poised to be a breakout star.—Rachel LeWinter, Seek assistant editor

[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.] 

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