The Wackness [WS] [Blu-ray]

Director: Jonathan Levine

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/06/2009
UPC:	0043396292154
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00

Special 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

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ben Kingsley	Dr. Squires
Josh Peck	Luke
Famke Janssen	Mrs. Squires
Olivia Thirlby	Stephanie
Mary-Kate Olsen	Union
Jane Adams	Eleanor
Method Man	Percy
Aaron Yoo	Justin
Talia Balsam	Mrs. Shapiro
David Wohl	Mr. Shapiro
Bob Dishy	Grandpa Shapiro
Joanna Merlin	Grandma Shapiro
Shannon Briggs	Bodyguard #1
Roy Milton Davis	Homeless Man
Alexander Flores	Kid in Bar
Ken Marks	Oliver
Kiah Fredericks	Police Officer #1
Robert Armstrong	Principal Edward
Nick Schutt	Albert
Douglas J. Aguirre	Desk Officer in Prison
David Torn	Composer

Technical Credits

Jonathan Levine

Jonathan Levine	Screenwriter
Keith Calder	Producer
Felipe Marino	Producer
Joe Neurauter	Producer
Joanna Colbert	Casting
Richard Mento	Casting
Chris Barnes	Stunts
Cort Hessler	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

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.