by Josh Sewell
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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
Ben Affleck did the A-list action hero thing for a while (most recently with his commendable take on Batman in Zack Snyder’s otherwise dreadful attempt at a franchise), but I’ve always preferred his work as a character actor. I’m also a big fan of journeyman director Gavin O’Connor, who excels at turning clichéd premises into terrific movies (including Miracle and Warrior). So, it stands to reason if the two of them worked together, the results would be pretty great.
The Accountant, a quirky action thriller they made in 2016, proved that. Now we have even more evidence with their latest collaboration, The Way Back. It’s a poignant drama about basketball, addiction and redemption that features one of the greatest performances of Affleck’s career. Like most of O’Connor’s work, it’s full of genre tropes we’ve seen a million times, but the director’s take on Brad Inglesby’s screenplay is so genuine and earnest that the movie works despite its by-the-numbers plotting.
The character study focuses on Jack Cunningham (Affleck), a former basketball star who turned his back on a promising college career (and the full ride that came with it) and chose a more self-destructive path. Now a full-blown alcoholic, his entire life revolves around drinking. During the day, he’s on construction sites sneaking vodka into his water bottle. At night, he’s either getting hammered at his favorite dive bar or killing a fridge full of beer in his rundown apartment.
Things aren’t looking great, but he gets a chance to turn his life around when he’s asked to coach his alma mater’s awful basketball team. Jack reluctantly takes the job, and he’s more surprised than anyone when he turns out to be good at it. The team slowly improves and soon they’ve got a decent shot at making the playoffs. However, when a setback threatens the progress Jack has made, he must decide whether to succumb to his demons or keep fighting for a better life.
There’s something to be said about a story that hits predictable notes in ways that are nevertheless compelling, which is exactly what The Way Back does. Aside from a couple of big exceptions – including a mid-film reveal that destroyed me and a conclusion that shows viewers where their priorities should’ve been the whole time – O’Connor uses the audience’s knowledge of familiar genres against them. We often know where Jack is headed, but we’re powerless to stop it. That’s what makes the emotional high points so joyous and the lows so devastating.
Affleck is backed up by a strong supporting cast, including Al Madrigal as his dedicated assistant coach; Janina Gavankar as his compassionate ex-wife; and Michaela Watkins as his blunt-yet-loyal sister, but it’s mostly his show. The material clearly hits home for the actor in a personal way and he doesn’t squander the opportunity to channel that pain. He finds an artistic outlet for years of behavior that destroyed his marriage to Jennifer Garner and made tabloids lots of money.
I’ve always had a soft spot for Affleck, despite his frequent inability to get out of his own way, so here’s hoping this marks a career resurgence for him. We’re only three months into 2020 and I know everyone is tired of talking about awards season. However, if he plays his cards right, Affleck might be able ride The Way Back to a Best Actor nomination.
Grade: B+
Blu-ray Review: Charlie’s Angels
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| Courtesy of Sony |
I didn’t catch director/writer/actress Elizabeth Banks’ Charlie’s Angels reboot when it hit theaters last November, so I’m glad the folks at Sony were kind enough to help me correct that oversight recently by sending me a Blu-ray. Honestly, considering the movie’s chilly box office reception and less-than-stellar reviews, I wasn’t expecting much. But now that I’ve seen it, I may be in the minority, but I thought it was fun. Hopefully the audience it was designed for will discover it via the assorted streaming services out there. (Pretty sure it’s just old folks like me who are still clinging to physical media.)
The plot (credited to Evan Spiliotopoulos and David Auburn, with a screenplay by Banks) is unnecessarily convoluted for an origin story, but there are welcome shades of the old television show and previous movies, as well as fun spy tropes that nod to the James Bond and Fast and Furious franchises. This time around, the mysterious Charles Townsend has gone international with his security and investigative agency, with a team of Angels (including Kristen Stewart’s Sabina and Ella Balinksa’s Jane) and Bosleys (played by Banks, Patrick Stewart and Djimon Hounsou) all over the globe.
Sabina and Jane are called in to protect a whistleblower (Naomi Scott) who designed an Alexa-like gadget that bad guys would love to get their hands on. Turns out the device, when hacked, has a nasty tendency to trigger an undetectable EMP powerful enough to stop people’s hearts. That’s a handy tool for anyone looking to assassinate world leaders or other powerful people.
Banks proves adept at both comedy and action, staging exciting car chases and fights that don’t overlook the importance of the Angels’ mission. There are plenty of jokes and lighthearted sequences, but viewers are frequently reminded of the stakes along the way. It’s a testament to Banks’ abilities that she also manages to play an important character with quite a bit of screen time while wearing the hats of director and screenwriter.
Stewart, pivoting hard from her previous dour roles, exudes a terrifically weird goofball energy. Scott, signing up for this right after her breakout performance in Disney’s Aladdin remake, continues to make me believe she’s going to be a giant movie star one day. Balinska is also entertaining, though she doesn’t make quite as strong an impression.
I know being so late to the festivities makes me part of the problem, but I’m a little bummed we won’t get a Charlie’s Angels sequel since this one flopped. The stars’ chemistry makes the latest take on the franchise worth a watch and I’d like to see more of them.
Special features: gag reel; five deleted scenes; four behind-the-scenes featurettes; and “Don’t Call Me Angel” music video featuring Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey.
Grade: B
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