"The Way Back" offers one of the rawest portraits of pain I've ever seen. And that's thanks to the vulnerable performance of Ben Affleck. It was hard not to tie the actor's offscreen struggles with alcohol to his onscreen portrayal of Jack Cunningham. In fact, Affleck had entered rehab just as soon as filming began, which left director Gavin O'Connor a nervous wreck, he recently revealed to Townhall.
But Affleck was determined to see the project through - so dedicated he even brought a basketball with him to rehab to prep for his role as a high school basketball coach. And thankfully he did. As Jack, an alcoholic divorcee who has lost a son to illness, Affleck shines. He's a likable, relatable character who clearly just needs a helping hand. And that olive branch eventually comes from a local priest who asks Jack to be the new high school basketball coach.
After several beers and hours of contemplation, Jack relents and takes the job. And it turns out he's pretty good at it. When Jack first meets the team, they are all talk...and talk...and talk...and no discipline. But there's no denying their talent. He gets to know them on and off the court and earns their trust. Jack turns them into winners by helping them better utilize their athletic talent, and realize their inner self worth. All the while, he's starting to overcome his own demons. But what makes the film better than your average redeeming sports film, is that Jack suffers a relapse. A bad one. And Affleck plays it perfectly.
The audience will cheer Jack on. They'll grimace when he reaches for one more beer, but smile when he backs his truck out of the bar.
Sports fans should know that there's not much in the way of actual basketball in the film, with the exception of the final playoff game. But I think that directorial decision helped move the story along and let us see more of Jack's growth, which was the main point. That's not to say the young cast that makes up the team is at all forgotten. They each have fun personalities which play well off of Affleck, and their personal struggles are pretty captivating on their own.
Affleck recently sat down for a candid interview with Pastor Erwin McManus to discuss both his onscreen and offscreen struggles with addiction.
For more insight into Affleck's emotional, raw turn as Jack Cunningham, check out my recent interview with director Gavin O'Connor. "The Way Back" is in theaters now.
We give it a: B