“The Wackness” came at me from out of the blue; and by “out of the blue,” I mean I heard about it via a review page on Facebook. And as soon as I heard it was a coming-of-age indie featuring Josh Peck from Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh” and Ben Kingsley from Attenborough’s “Gandhi” I knew I had to check it out. Also, Mary Kate Olsen from “Full House” makes an appearance; and although I just made it sound like a star vehicle, this movie is anything but that.
Set in ‘90s New York (not the fancy part of the Big Apple, but the grimey part where dime bags are peddled in alleyways), the movie starts out with a brief introductory voiceover from Luke, the underdog drug dealer. The narration is rife with his naturally adolescent thoughts; he treads the line between ‘mature young adult trying to pay the rent lest he & his family are forced to move to Jersey’ and the ‘just out of high school teen in search of a sexual fix.’ He’s also figuring out how to fix his home problems, one of which is an unemployed dad who acts like a big shot around the house and makes false promises.
Joining him on his dismal and trying journey—and sharing his problems—is Dr. Squires who’s equal parts Luke’s therapist in need of therapy himself and equal parts mentor and wingman. He is also a bit crazy himself at time.
There’s a lot of heart and some depth to “The Wackness,” and the focus never veers from its main motive. It tells the story of two similar yet dissimilar characters; they need each other to survive and eventually grow up despite their shortcomings and also despite not wanting to.
The script also allows for some exploration of smaller characters like Elenore, a regular customer of Luke and a washed-up musician who completes the ensemble of underdog characters in this movie. I also love the ‘90s slang in the dialogue to make the characters feel real and fit with the era.
The soundtrack features loads of bops from the ‘90s, some of which feel similar to “Cemetary Junction,” another memorable coming-of-age a while back with like themes. There are a couple of scenes which are often enough to convey the character’s mindsets; this is especially true of the scenes of Luke at his graduation. These enables viewers to get a sense of his claustrophobia as well he feels left high and dry; he’s not able to cope with being left out despite being surrounded by many of his fellow graduates.
Another well-shot scene is Luke’s little jig on a ‘light up pavement’ after a date gone right with his crush—which is adorable to watch & is also a nice homage to ‘90s music videos. However, the film could have done without some of the sun-washed shots; they take you out of the movie and look more at home in a Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
Among the performances, Ben Kingsley comes up aces as he plays Dr. Squires, an aging therapist still trying to be hip outside his boring married life. He finds a way to relive his youth by hanging out with Luke, a mirror for Dr. Squires.
Josh Peck plays Luke to perfection; he reels the viewer in with his very believable expressions and mannerisms and he proves to be a fine actor. Olivia Thirlby reminds me of a young Liv Tyler at times with her rebellious, ‘couldn’t give a F*&# about it’ demeanor, playing Dr. Squires’ step-daughter Steph—who is a complete contrast to the virginal Luke who falls for her. However, Famke Jenssen feels underused as the bored wife of Dr. Squires, a cardboard character who feels out of place along with the hippie played by Mary Kate Olsen who could’ve been more three-dimensional as well.
“The Wackness” is a movie about feeling lost and unheard in a city that refuses to listen to its people. It comments on how it feels inclined to treat a certain strata of society as trash, which sadly, much like its underdog characters’ aspirations and desires, got swept under the carpet when it was released, but is still worth a watch.
“The Wackness” is available to watch or rent from most streaming services.
