The Wackness

A thirty-something's dream summer movie, a bittersweet romantic comedy ironically bleached by the day-glo hip hop soundtrack. It's better than a simple nostalgia montage though. The unlikely friendship of Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) and his psychiatrist (Kingsley) is the buddy movie... Full review

This has GOT to be the greatest movie ever made. Best I have ever seen and I am a movie fanatic. It has all aspects. Comedy, sadness, happiness, awesomeness...well no horror.. but still IT IS by far the best movie I... Full review

From Luke's opening monologue set to the strains of old school hip-hop through to a beautifully crafted story that is both poignant and funny and Ben Kingsley's wonderful turn as psychiatrist Dr. Squires this film is a winner. Set in New... Full review

The success of 'The Wackness' is fragile. If you can hear that phrase right--the wackness, the movie will probably work for you. That's enough: the wackness. It almost feels like writing about it will crush it. Things don't seem to fly... Full review

The coming-of-age genre has been a welcome staple in cinema from the classic monolith "Rebel Without A Cause" to the recent uber-smash "Juno", whose young protagonists are fraught with having old souls while trying to make a place in the world,... Full review

I walked into this film with 0 expectations having received pre-screener passes from a local record store. This is a beautifully filmed true to life story which I felt held very deep meaning about the beauty that is the start and... Full review

The Wackness is an extremely difficult movie to figure out. On one hand, writer/director Jon Levine paints a captivating story around the friendship of two identifiable protagonists in depressed teenage drug dealer Luke Shapiro, played by an up-to-the-task Josh Peck, and... Full review

This film was everything a movie should be. Great direction, acting, writing, and everything else! The acting was superb. Josh Peck really showed that not only is he a wonderful comical actor, but he is an incredible dramatic actor, as well.... Full review

This might get me into trouble with the film elite, but I found this film so much more real and absorbing than David Gordon Green's "All The Real Girls." They both deal with young men coming of age thanks to first... Full review

"The Wackness," director Jonathan Levine's eagerly-awaited followup feature to "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane," premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was immediately acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. I wasn't able to catch it at the time. Fortunately, "The... Full review

While I won't exactly say The Wackness is perfect, with some improvements due in editing and smoothing the overall flow, I am certain I will still be calling this one of the best flicks at Sundance by the time the end comes around. The Wackness seems slightly reminiscent of Darren Aronofsky's indie classic from 2000, Requiem for a Dream , implementing great cinematography, pale colors, a washed out palette, and a nostalgic storyline. ... Full Review

I've seen responses to the film both lavish and disdainful, and I find myself in a weird middle ground, in that the movie inspired no particularly strong feelings in me one way or the other. Written and directed by Jonathan Levine (whose feature debut, "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane," is an outstanding horror flick still awaiting theatrical release), "The Wackness" focuses on two parallel relationships. ... Full Review

The best thing about it is Peck, who shows you the sweet, virginal kid hiding inside the outlaw poseur. The film is dotted with timely signifiers (Forrest Gump ads on a bus, lots of jabber about Giuliani), but its one truly relevant reference point is that this was the last moment in the culture before cell phones. ... Full Review

Winners Receive: - The Wackness t-shirt - The Wackness one-sheet poster - The Wackness soundtrack CD to enter this contest today. Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen,and Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet, and funny coming of age story. ... Full Review

But for all its wicked delights and tasty acting, The Wackness hangs back when you most want it to sting. He's a hoot as Dr. Squires, a Manhattan shrink, circa 1994, who trades therapy to pot-dealing high schooler Luke (a terrific Josh Peck) for weed. ... Full Review

James Bond is everywhere, but maybe you're not the vodka martini type.Maybe a pint of your favorite locally brewed suds is more your speed. ... Full Article

Josh Peck has a motto: Drop the robe, and hope that when it falls the world doesnt fall with it. Admittedly, its not that catchy, but it was an immeasurable help to the 21-year-old former teen TV star (of the... ... Full Article

Certificate: 15 The year is 1994, Kurt Cobain has just died, O.J. is saturating the media, and in The Wackness , pot dealer Luke (Josh Peck) and his shrink Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley) are spending their days getting wasted in... ... Full Article

Out of all the specialty releases that have appeared in theaters -- including American indies, docs, and world cinema -- why is one standing out this summer as a "word-of-mouth" hit? ... Full Article

Ratings explained Yes, Luke is depressed, as he tells his shrink, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley).He barters with Squires, paying him in marijuana, which Luke peddles in New York from a wheeled cart made for icy treats. ... Full Article