Wackness

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 07 03 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396292154

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content]

Summary: A psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley) is put into a moral quandary when a young drug dealer who's been supplying him with pot in exchange for clinical treatment ends up dating his daughter in this comedy from All the Boys Love Mandy Lane's writer/director Jonathan Levine. Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Method Man co-star in the Occupant Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Audience Award – Sundance Film Festival Film Presented – Tribeca Film Festival Film Presented – San Francisco International Film Festival Film Presented – Seattle International Film Festival Film Presented – Los Angeles Film Festival Film Presented – Edinburgh International Film Festival Film Presented – Melbourne International Film Festival Best First Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Most Egregious Age Difference Between Leading Man and Love In – Alliance of Women Film Journalists

Features: Deleted scenes
Commentary with Josh Peck and director Jonathan Levine
Luke Shapiro's Dope Show
Keeping It Real: A Day in the Life of Jonathan Levine
Time in a Bottle: Behind-the-Scenes of the Wackness

Wackness

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 01/06/2009

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 99 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish,French

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Derek Armstrong

For those confused by this film's title, "the wackness" is roughly the opposite of "the dopeness," according to Olivia Thirlby's Stephanie, who accuses Josh Peck's Luke of fixating on the ways the world is "wack." There's a lot that's wack here, or just plain out of whack, so The Wackness makes an appropriate title. The 2008 Sundance Audience Award winner is a curious creation; while some smart details and technique validate the affection of the Sundance crowd, the film is stricken with a meandering and underdeveloped narrative. But since it also tries to hit the emotional beats of a traditional storyline, there's a disconnect between its actual impact and its intended impact. It works slightly better as a character study. Not your stereotypical drug dealer, Luke doesn't partake, is like a rap-loving jock without the athletic skills, and has New York authenticity in spades. However, since Peck never makes him precisely more than the sum of character traits, it's hard to invest in his journey. Another challenge to that endeavor is his relationship with Stephanie, the apparently slumming popular girl who toys with Luke into blurry emotional territory. It's a contrived pairing offered merely for plot mechanics. At the same time, without their relationship, the film's literal shining moment -- a shower love scene split by sun beams -- wouldn't be possible. Without hyperbole, this ranks up there with the most sensuously filmed kissing scenes of all time, but it sticks out abruptly in a sea of uneven dramedy. Ben Kingsley's pot-smoking therapist may be the biggest contrivance of all, his scenes laden with labored schtick and trumped-up conflict -- though he's plenty fun to watch. Writer-director Jonathan Levine should have a promising future, but his fragmented skills need to coalesce first. The Wackness is more dope than wack, but just barely. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: David Torn  Composer (Music Score) 
Jonathan Levine  Director 
Jonathan Levine  Screenwriter 
Felipe Marino  Producer 
Joe Neurauter  Producer 
Keith Calder  Producer 
Ben Kingsley  Actor 
Josh Peck  Actor 
Famke Janssen  Actor 
Olivia Thirlby  Actor 
Mary-Kate Olsen  Actor 
Jane Adams  Actor 
Method Man  Actor 
Aaron Yoo  Actor 
Talia Balsam  Actor 
David Wohl  Actor 
Bob Dishy  Actor 
Joanna Merlin  Actor 
Shannon Briggs  Actor 
Roy Milton Davis  Actor 

Country: USA