The Way Back (2020)

March 5, 2020 (US) • Drama • 108m

Overview

A former basketball all-star, who has lost his wife and family foundation in a struggle with addiction, attempts to regain his soul and salvation by becoming the coach of a disparate ethnically mixed high school basketball team at his alma mater.

Director

Gavin O'Connor

Writer

Brad Ingelsby

Top Billed

Ben Affleck

Keywords

change alcoholism widower basketball team basketball coach addiction recovery dramatic admiring

Where to watch

Rent

Buy

Top Billed Cast

Ben Affleck

Jack Cunningham

Al Madrigal

Dan

Michaela Watkins

Beth

Janina Gavankar

Angela

Glynn Turman

Doc

Melvin Gregg

Marcus Parrish

Brandon Wilson

Brandon Durrett

Will Ropp

Kenny Dawes

Fernando Luis Vega

Sam Garcia

Charles Lott, Jr.

Chubbs Hendricks

Ben Irving

Bobby Freeze

Da'Vinchi

Devon Childress

John Aylward

Father Edward Devine

T.K. Carter

Russ

Rachael Carpani

Diane

Todd Stashwick

Kurt

Nancy Linehan Charles

Anne

Dan Lauria

Gerry Norris

Chris Bruno

Sal

Matthew Glave

Coach Lombardo

Jeremy Ratchford

Matty (Bartender)

Jayne Taini

Susan Norris

Jeremy Radin

Father Mark Whelan

Nico David

Ryan

Emelia Golfieri

Sarah

Layla Golfieri

Sarah

Sal Velez Jr.

Miguel

Yeniffer Behrens

Sofia

Eric Tate

Sully - Ref #2

Christine Horn

Doctor

Josh Latzer

Construction Worker #1

Manny Streetz

Construction Worker #2

Justice Alan

David

Jay Abdo

Liquor Store Owner

Joshua Hubbard

Lead Referee

James P. Harkins

Burly Man

Mike G.

Employee

April Adams

Betty

Chieko Hidaka

Haley

Bronwen O'Connor

Student

Charlotte Evelyn Williams

Student

Kayla Díaz

Student

Doc Jacobs

Trinity Coach

Marlene Forte

Gale

Shay Roundtree

Ken

Chad Mountain

Pat

Sandy Fletcher

Summit Coach

Noah Ballou

Opposing Coach

Cynthia Rose Hall

Female Friend - Nancy

Calvin Barber

Referee

Dino Lauro

Fish Scale Operator

Roman Mathis

Bishop Bench Player

Herbert Morales

Bishop Bench Player

Mateo Ortiz

Bishop Bench Player

Tyler O'Malley

Bishop Bench Player

Tom Archdeacon

Ethan (uncredited)

Brian Nuesi

Basketball Player 7 (uncredited)

Edelyn Okano

Denise (uncredited)

Carly Schneider

Cheerleader (uncredited)

Caleb Thomas

Mike Ball Boy (uncredited)

Hayes MacArthur

Eric (uncredited)

Alexander Tassopoulos

Basketball Player

Mason Blomberg

Birthday Party Guest (uncredited)

Crew

Gavin O'Connor

Producer

Gordon Gray

Producer

Gavin O'Connor

Director

Jennifer Todd

Producer

Steven A. Morrow

Sound Mixer

Ravi D. Mehta

Producer

Craig Dollinger

Boom Operator

Ellen Dorros

Set Decoration Buyer

Bryan Mendoza

Utility Sound

Bradley Rubin

Art Direction

Cindy Evans

Costume Design

Eduard Grau

Director of Photography

David Rosenbloom

Editor

Mark Ciardi

Executive Producer

Kaitlyn Taaffe Cronholm

Executive Producer

Madison Ainley

Executive Producer

Brad Ingelsby

Executive Producer

Aaron L. Gilbert

Executive Producer

Jason Cloth

Executive Producer

Bob Dohrmann

Unit Production Manager

Brad Ingelsby

Writer

Victor Ho

Unit Production Manager

Kevin Lum

Second Assistant Director

Wendy O'Brien

Casting

Bob Dohrmann

Executive Producer

Brittany Hapner

Co-Producer

Rob Simonsen

Original Music Composer

Kevin McCormick

Executive Producer

Keith P. Cunningham

Production Design

Bruce Jones

Visual Effects Supervisor

Jamie Marshall

First Assistant Director

Douglas A. Mowat

Set Decoration

Gabe Hilfer

Music Supervisor

Stephanie Charbonneau

Graphic Designer

Craigory Glen Hunter

Stunts

Tom McComas

Stunt Coordinator

Oliver Keller

Stunts

Allan Graf

Stunts

Andrew Campbell

Graphic Designer

Jane Madden

Set Decoration Buyer

Lauren Shaw

Stunts

Michael Merriman

"B" Camera Operator

Brittany Bradford

Assistant Art Director

Fred Haft

Leadman

Michael LaCorte

Art Department Coordinator

Linia Marie Hardy

Assistant Art Director

Jesse Tyler

Digital Imaging Technician

David Rowden II

Stunts

Paul Sonski

Set Designer

J.P. Jones

Property Master

Anna Rottke

Assistant Editor

Tim McKeown

Foley Artist

Jason Oliver

ADR Mixer

Bob Kellough

Sound Effects Editor

Jo Kissack Folsom

Assistant Costume Designer

Timothy White

Best Boy Grip

Rick Chavez

Assistant Property Master

Richard Foreman Jr.

Still Photographer

Mark Mangini

Supervising Sound Editor

Christopher S. Aud

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Sandy Kenyon

Costume Supervisor

Gerald Quist

Makeup Department Head

Tami Treadwell

ADR Mixer

Natasha Romanow

Set Costumer

Roy Prophet

Grip

Jordan Pellegrini

Second Assistant "A" Camera

Gary Summers

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Walter Spencer

Foley Mixer

Mark McCarthy

Chief Lighting Technician

Cindy Rosenthal

Key Costumer

Courtney Farnsworth

Stunts

Mike Horton

Foley Artist

Kristin Wahl

Hair Department Head

B R Lamar

Stunts

Byron Wilson

Supervising Sound Editor

Mark Coffey

Assistant Sound Editor

Joe Rosenbloom

First Assistant Editor

Steve Gehrke

Script Supervisor

Seth A. Peschansky

Second Assistant "B" Camera

Curt Sobel

Music Editor

Peter Rosenfeld

"A" Camera Operator

Stephen MacDougall

First Assistant "A" Camera

Jennifer Zide

Key Makeup Artist

Christian Franz Staab

Dolly Grip

Michael Brown

Grip

Mark Mangini

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Ezra Dweck

Foley Editor

Michael Anderson

Key Grip

Jim Leidholdt

Dolly Grip

Andrew Potter

Grip

Jesse Cain

First Assistant "B" Camera

Paul Corricelli

Set Costumer

Elizabeth Cortez

Key Hair Stylist

John M. 'Jack' Wright

Key Costumer

Jerardo Gomez

Rigging Gaffer

Tylre Synclair

Casting Assistant

Maureen O'Reilly

Payroll Accountant

George A. Sack

Transportation Coordinator

Brian Corpuz

Production Secretary

Raul Esparza III

Assistant Location Manager

Heidi Falconer

Publicist

Wes Hagan

Location Manager

Bill Dance

Extras Casting

KB Pugliese

Production Coordinator

Anthea Strangis

First Assistant Accountant

Joe Ondrejko

Construction Coordinator

Demelza Cronin

Production Coordinator

Jesse Trinidad

Assistant Production Coordinator

Rodrigo Dorame

Transportation Captain

Nate Birkett

Assistant Location Manager

Larz Anderson

Special Effects Supervisor

Kelly A. Snyder

Production Accountant

Christopher Miller

Location Manager

Laura Aughton

Casting Associate

Yvan Lucas

Digital Intermediate Colorist

Reviews

Manuel São Bento

⭐ 7/10

March 31, 2020

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com

I’m not the greatest fan of inspirational sports dramas, but I also never disliked one. They all follow this storytelling formula that everyone recognizes, but it’s always successful. The protagonist is a miserable human being due to some tragic past. He gets another shot at life, usually an underdog situation, and he ultimately overcomes whatever challenge is thrown at him, including his addictions if he has any. Everyone lives “happily ever after”, and the viewer leaves the theater with a smile because that’s how it makes us feel.

It’s incredibly easy to root for an underdog trying to raise its level and to reach something it never believed in. In The Way Back, the basketball team is awful, but Jack teaches them not only how to play better, but how to be a better *team*. Then, it’s just like the synopsis: a win here and there gets everyone back on track, and it’s very entertaining to watch these young kids “grow up” in every possible way. As a sportsman myself, several little details help me enjoy this type of movies even more.

However, it’s a straightforward variation of the same cliche, predictable story… until one point. There’s one genuinely surprising development I didn’t see coming. I don’t know if it was due to my “defenses being down” or if Gavin O’Connor and Brad Ingelsby really did a great job at hiding it until the right moment, but it definitely worked.

The lack of character-building regarding the secondary ones is probably my biggest issue aside from the formulaic screenplay. There’s one young kid that still has some sort of an arc, but it never gets the deserved consideration. It’s a very protagonist-centered film, and there’s nothing truly wrong with that, especially when Ben Affleck delivers one of his career-best performances. I left him for last because I do believe the whole movie succeeds due to his impressively captivating display.

A lot of people talk about how Affleck’s own life and his past struggles with addiction make this a personal interpretation in the sense that he’s just portraying himself. Some people even diminished his performance by saying that “it’s easier to represent ourselves than a fictional character”, which I couldn’t disagree more. It’s an arduous task interpreting a version of our personality, let alone a very somber, sad part of it. It’s not only an enormous acting challenge but also a terrifying personal test.

I digress. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about Affleck’s personal life, or anyone’s for that matter. People should stop trying to bring external themes to reviews, it’s one of the first principles film critics learn (but have unfortunately forgotten with time). I don’t know if his experience with addiction helped him with his performance or not, but he looks incredibly committed to his role. He elevates his character, and he carries the whole movie on his shoulders. Brilliant, emotional, and very realistic interpretation of someone dealing with depression, frustration, anger, and an addiction issue.

All in all, The Way Back is an inspirational sports drama that follows the genre’s stereotypes and formulaic storytelling, but it’s still very successful in its execution. The secondary characters lack development, but there’s nothing wrong with a protagonist-centered story as long as the main actor delivers an exceptional display. Something Ben Affleck does in an emotionally powerful manner, delivering a genuine portrayal of someone with a tragic past and lots of personal issues. I believe it’s one of his career-best performances. Jack might follow every storyline that ever existed in this genre, but Ben Affleck is reason enough to give Gavin O’Connor’s flick a go.

Rating: B

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tmdb28039023

⭐ 7/10

August 28, 2022

The Way Back (2020) is a return to form for Ben Affleck following an aimless second half of the previous decade – specifically his ill-advised stint in the DC Universe. In this drama directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Brad Ingelsby (co-writer of the excellent Out of the Furnace), Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former high school star basketball player turned alcoholic construction worker who reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater.

How do we know he's an alcoholic? Well, drinking beer in the shower is certainly not a good sign (and there are many others), but it’s mostly Affleck, who not only looks and sounds but for all intents and purposes is the part, turning in a cathartic, demon-exorcising performance.

The central portion of the film is by design an abridged version of every high school basketball movie ever made. It’s done competently, with a knowledge of and appreciation for the game of hoops, as well as a sense of humor, but it’s nevertheless an afterthought; it would also be a foregone conclusion, if the script had actually been leading up all along to that buzzer-beating, game-winning, hail Mary shot that shortly segues into a freeze frame of Jack’s triumphantly grinning mug.

Its Cinderella story – minus the fairytale happy ending – seems taken right out of many a Hollywood melodrama (because it actually is), but TWB is not – regardless of what All Movie or IMDb may tell you – a sports movie, nor is it about basketball like Hoosiers, or about inner city kids like Coach Carter; its scenes of on-court action and sideline banter, deftly choreographed and zestfully written and delivered but offering little new (other than comically pairing the Foulmouthed Coach with the catholic high school’s “team chaplain”), exist solely to make a point – and a very well made and well taken point it is.

This narrative shorthand serves an overarching character study into which the filmmakers have put quite a lot more thought and work, revolving around a man who seemingly drinks just for the sake of getting drunk, and then gradually pulling back to reveal the underlying causes for, and consequences of, his alcoholism. It is said that hitting rock bottom is the beginning of the road to recovery, and the film uses basketball to pull Jack up, push him farther down, and ultimately pull him back up again.

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