Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Wackness Blu-ray Movie Review

With extraordinary audio performance and a wanna-be-hip swagger, a juicy bite of Big Apple life comes to Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Greg Maltz March 18, 2009

I have an affinity for movies filmed in New York because that's my town. I know the vibe of the subway, the steam rising from the streets, Central Park, the sea of faces. When a film shows these elements, even as a backdrop, it evokes more meaning for me. Another element that The Wackness has going for it is the casting of Sir Ben Kingsley, one of the most storied actors to come out of the UK, as pill-popping, reefer-toking Dr. Jeffrey Squires. The movie explores a young man's troubled family life, relationships and drug-dealing adventures the summer after his high school graduation. Linking 18-year old Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) with Dr. Squires, who is in the throes of mid-life crisis, The Wackness takes major chances in its conception and execution. Sometimes it works. Peck nails some scenes. Other times he falls flat. When it comes down to it, the film couldn't rise above its sophomoric origins. It ends up coming across like a first time screenwriter won a lottery to get his script produced and distributed by Sony with Kingsley signed on for good measure. But even if you don't like the plot, there is no denying the audio performance featuring a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD mix, is top notch. The soundtrack from the golden age of hip hop could push The Wackness into "barely recommended" territory.

Olivia Thirlby is the best reason to watch the movie. It's easy to see why.

The film is narrated by Peck in his role as Luke. It kicks off with him making a drug deal with Squires before the credits roll. Luke is given to fantasy and escape-ism. To deal with his dysfunctional parents and his inability to connect with people in a meaningful way, Luke retreats into his drug business, sessions with Dr. Squires and hip hop. Music plays a big part in the film, as does drug dealing. But Luke develops a crush on Squires' stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), and the film quickly transitions into an awkward romance. Steph shows curiosity in Luke's drug business and he takes her out for a couple of deliveries. The plot moves very slowly, mostly segueing between Luke's fantasies and his sessions with Dr. Squires. Despite Kingsley's brilliance, he can't make up for the immaturity of the script. The psychiatrist takes Luke out drinking in a dive bar.

The dialog is downright painful at times, both in conception and execution. The pacing is off, the narrative is slow. By the time Luke and Squires land themselves in jail after police bust them for smoking marijuana in public, I had lost all interest in the characters. The romance scenes were no better. The chemistry was off. The film flails in its attempts to mix comedy with salient observations about relationships and integrity. I don't mean to suggest The Wackness has no redeeming qualities, but its appeal is limited. Fans of New York films who have an affinity for rap and teen angst will enjoy this movie. There is something to be said for Juno star Thirlby who does a good job with a bad script that occasionally lets her beauty and charm shine through.

The Wackness Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the narrative, the video performance of The Wackness is quite dull. It is produced such that colors lack warmth. The cinematography is often quite artistic, but overall it is too dark and drab. The real soul of New York and the other characters never really comes alive visually. While skin tones, black level and depth are spot on, the filmstock used is plagued with grain. I usually enjoy these nuances of the actual film employed, but here it takes on a digital sheen that seems to stand out from the drab color tones of the movie, and in some scenes is actually a distraction--I've never made this observation before as I always welcome cues from the master. I just wasn't feeling it for this picture. The grain at times also tends to get in the way of the detail.

Overall, the picture is good, but nothing to write home about. Much of the scenes unfold in darkness indoors or twilight or noir hours outside. Watch a typical scene in Dr. Squires' office. The lighting is poor, but shadow detail is decent, contributing depth and density. The heft of characters and objects in the room is well represented, but there is poor detail and minimal vibrancy. On the plus side, some of the cinematography is inspired and the rare outdoor shots made good use of light. I also admired the balance of how many shots were framed. This is always something to look for in 2.35:1 content from a director of photography who is new to me--in this case Petra Korner. But the framing speaks more to the cinematographer's choices than to the qualities of the Blu-ray disc.

The Wackness Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The one beacon of excellence in The Wackness is its Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. It may not be the most dynamic surround mix--in fact only reverb and the rare miscellanious sounds appear to have been assigned to the rear channels. But no matter. The audio has a disarming presence and forward attack anchored in the front three speakers. The dialog and other sounds from the streets and the beach have accurate timbral cues and good resolution.

With all due respect to Ben Kingsley and Olivia Thirlby, the real star of the movie is the soundtrack from the golden age of hip hop. And man, did Sony deliver the sonic goods in mixing in the music. The muscular bass is pumped up without sounding bloated or getting in the way of the midrange and treble performance. This tightness in the low end is critical for hip hop and it thunders throughout the film, from The What (The Notorious B.I.G. with Method Man) to Flava In Your Ear (Craig Mack) to Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince) to The World Is Yours (Nas) to Can I Kick It? (A Tribe Called Quest) to Just A Friend (Biz Markie) to Tearz (Wu-Tang Clan). What better way to inject life into a listless film than serve up some serious sounds and crank up the volume? If you're a fan of "classic" rap, the audio track may entice you to at least rent The Wackness.

The Wackness Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray must have been an afterthought when producing bonus content for this film. Aside from the high def trailers, all featurettes are in 480p, with DD two-channel sound.

Audio Commentary--Director Levine and actor Peck tag team on the commentary track. It includes a few technical details sprinkled with copious anecdotes of the goings-on during production on the set. Predictably, there are many experiences shared involving Kingsley and what it was like for relative neophytes to work with a bona fide screen legend and Oscar winner.

Time in a Bottle: Behind the Scenes of "The Wackness"--An 18-minute documentary featuring director Jonathan Levine and others who discuss their choices in casting, music and settings in the context of the film's period of 1994.

Luke Shapiro's Dope Show--An eight-minute spoof of independent cable channel show that focuses on the character's superintendent as well as a Cypress Hill show.

Deleted Scenes--Five minutes worth of outtakes show what ended up on the cutting room floor. They amount to four scenes, none of which appeared any worse to me than several of the scenes left in the movie. Not a good sign.

Keeping it Real: A Day in the Life of Writer/Director Jonathan Levine--This eight-minute documentary, which is in high definition unlike the preceeding supplementary content, focuses on Levine's guidance of The Wackness through film festivals and premieres, culminating in the LA Film Festival.

Theatrical Trailers--Rounding out the bonus material is seven minutes worth of trailers, not just for the main attraction but for Standard Operating Procedure, Redbelt and The Fall.

The Wackness Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though there are few redeeming qualities of The Wackness that make it worth seeing, it will have a niche audience, but maybe that audience's main demographic is Blu-ray adopters. To the film's credit, it tries to give a poignant, comedic and hipster spin on a traditional coming of age story. Unfortunately, it fails. This is all the more disappointing because an actor of Ben Kingsley's stature lends his talents to the production. Sometimes I wonder how scripts like this--a trainwreck for stretches of dialog--get approved for distribution by major studios. With its tacit endorsement of drug subculture/lifestyle and downplay of the value of meaningful relationships, it isn't the kind of film to show kids. Unfortunately, that seems to be the target audience. Possible rental material if you're in the right mood, although I can't say I'd ever be in the right mood to take another gander at The Wackness.