Movie Breakdown: The Way Back

Pre-Screening Ramble:

I like sports movies a lot.  I like Gavin O’Connor – his great films (Miracle, Warrior) make up for his variety of forgettable ones (Jane Got A Gun, The Accountant, Pride And Glory).  I like Ben Affleck, even though he hasn’t been in anything of note since 2014’s Gone Girl.  In other words, I’ve got faith in The Way Back.

Post-Screening Ramble:

The tricky thing (at least for me, since it’s what I was expecting) about The Way Back is that it’s not really a sports movie.  Yes, there’s a high school basketball team that isn’t any good, and yes, they’re provided a coach (Ben Affleck) that comes in and whips them into shape.  However, Coach Cunningham’s tragedy-induced self-destructive funk rules all here, and the team is really just another layer on his pile of distractions.  Hell, most of the basketball scenes don’t even involve the players, they’re focused on Cunningham’s wild antics from the bench.  Fortunately, regardless of how much ball is played or showcased, The Way Back is still a quality drama that features a super solid performance by Affleck.  Cunningham is a very sad, angry man that Affleck could have simply portrayed as a grumpy boulder, but instead he imbues the character with a soft, relatable touch that leaves you rooting harder for him than the team he’s coaching.

I do think the film’s first two acts are much stronger than the third one, as it unnecessarily doubles down on all the unfortunate bits, but as long as you slightly scale back your expectations and understand that this is more of a drama than an all-out sports flick, then I believe you’ll find The Way Back to be worth your time.

One Last Thought:

There’s a false ending in this film that’s so convincing I actually sat up in my seat and prepared myself to beat the crowd out of the theater.  There’s a damn freeze frame and everything!