Rent The Way Back on Amazon Video
Written by: Brad Ingelsby
Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
Starring: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Janina Gavankar
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Jack Cunningham was a high school basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption.
Verdict
This seems like a sports underdog movie, but it's really about a man that's heading to rock bottom. Becoming coach isn't the turning point for him. It doesn't save him. Affleck does a great job, but a big part of that is the direction and script that creates a gloomy mood. It's such a good setup that Affleck doesn't have to do much. It's a great idea to combine the uplifting sports story and a man heading to rock bottom.
Watch it.
Review
This movie does a great job of showing us Jack is in a bad place. He's an alcoholic and the direction creates a sullen mood. Affleck doesn't even have to do much. The setup and dialog gets the character half way there. With Affleck's real life troubles, it makes the character's struggles visceral. The actor and character have faced similar situations.
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| Ben Affleck plays Jack Cunningham. |
Jack gets the opportunity to coach his high school basketball team. He turns the team around, but Jack has a lot of demons at high school. That was one of the last times he was a star. He threw that all away. While the team does well, it isn't the spark that changes Jack's life. This isn't about a team that turns it around to win or comes back from the edge of defeat. Jack's a functioning alcoholic with a lot of problems. He's helping the team win, but he isn't a role model in any way.
This is a story about Jack drifting through life and finally hitting rock bottom. There are credible reasons for why Jack is using alcohol to cope. Despite his faults and shortcomings he was able to help the basketball team. How much more could he have done sober
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