Ben Affleck shoots, often scores and most importantly slam dunks a seriously gripping role in his new basketball drama 'The Way Back.'
The lowly squad hasn’t been a powerhouse since Jack’s legendary days on the court in the 1990s, yet with some tough love from their tattooed teacher, a new emphasis on furious defense, and a stream of curse words that makes the team chaplain blanch, the team turns its season around.
It’s the stuff that any sports-movie nut has seen before, and still, the hoops scenes are pretty nifty – O’Connor, who filmed another ragtag crew in the great “Miracle,” knows how to wring every rousing moment without going fully cornball. Character development is a problem throughout the movie, however, and especially in the beginning, as it takes a while to get to know the players with everything else going on in Jack’s life.
He’s able to play Jack as both rebellious leader of men and vulnerable addict equally well: The backstory of his character is a slow burn of enormous repressed emotion, and Affleck’s best stuff comes late in the game when the audience finally understands the depths of Jack’s struggles. He also gets some superb scene partners, including Gavankar in an understated role as Jack’s estranged spouse, Al Madrigal as the strait-laced assistant coach and Brandon Wilson as the team’s soft-spoken best player.
“The Way Back” never relents in its full-court press on Jack’s soul, and his journey to redemption isn’t easy and is actually quite sad, especially for those expecting, say, “Coach Carter” or “Glory Road.” This is a much more affecting narrative in how it tackles alcoholism and despair, a grounded effort that nonetheless allows Affleck to soar.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ben Affleck liked being a child actor because it made Matt Damon 'so incredibly jealous'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJO6VNsSr7s&amp=&feature=youtu.be It seems we can thank a jealous child for Jason Bourne and Good Will Hunting. In an interview on an upcoming episode of SiriusXM's The…
Read more »
Ben Affleck Had 'Sober Liaison' For Rehab Commitments While Filming The Way BackAffleck completed a 40-day stint in a facility treating alcoholism in October 2018, which coincided with the filming of the movie, and production was well aware of the actor's situation.
Read more »
Adam Driver made Ben Affleck 'a hero' to his kids with birthday presents from Kylo RenWho knew Kylo Ren had a heart of gold? Ben Affleck was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday, where he told the story of how Adam Driver…
Read more »
Truth About Ben Affleck And Lindsay Lohan Hooking UpBen Affleck has not had multiple flings with Lindsay Lohan, despite a completely untrue tabloid report. Gossip Cop can debunk the bogus story.
Read more »
Ben Affleck Is Taking Credit for Matt Damon's Film CareerBen Affleck says his career as a child star made Matt Damon jealous.
Read more »