SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Kely Christmas Honestly, this movie is not that bad. If I'm being honest with myself, there are some specific moments in this movie that I will never forget-- ever. The soundtrack was amazing and it just created this intense atmosphere of nostalgia-- I will never forget it; it kind of even hurts to know I finished the movie. They did such a wonderful job with the music and how they set up the scenes. And the editing, or the cinematography was amazing, just so hazy that you never truly take it in until the scenes are finished.However, casting was a little weird-- Josh Peck and Method Man's exaggerated Jamaican character, almost like a caricature. I was totally uncomfortable with Peck, mostly in the beginning because by the end you're just so used to his tacky New York accent that you just don't care anymore. Furthermore, this movie felt like it was really missing something. I left the movie feeling really disappointed-- yeah, the nostalgia was intense and the vibes were great, but where's that feeling that you get after a good movie? Where is that feeling of satisfaction? I felt like an entire scene was missing, but I just don't know what-- catharsis with his parents? Understanding about himself? I feel like we left and the characters had just merely began to grow? Also, there seems to be this giant hole that they throw the audience into. You feel insanely sad and disappointed when you watch this movie even to the end. There are moments where you're moving your feet very softly to "Summertime" and then there are moments where you just feel bad-- mostly bad. You mostly feel really bad when you watch this movie, Peck's character: Luke goes through some of the most saddest things. It's not so sad that it warrants the movie to be bad, but it's so sad that you feel like the movie never truly picks up. You feel down for him and Kingsley's character most of the time. And yet, you never really feel all that happy for them when it ends, because they're still messed and tortured souls. It sounds cheesy, but the ending, or maybe just the whole movie, was missing something. You feel like the characters learned what they needed to learn, but it had been done so...ambiguously. Have they truly learned about embracing "the wackness"? Have they truly learned about love? Have they? No, not really. Luke has yet to understand love, Dr. Squires has yet to learn about his deep seated problems. It seems like development was just cut too short or just not really all there. It was missing something; I think you'll understand when you watch it-- which you should, it's a nostalgic inducing film that promotes a good, but very, very, very subtle message underneath all of the ridiculous sex riddled scenes and sex riddled conversations.Just give it a watch and see if you agree.

SnoopyStyle It's the summer of '94 in Giuliani's New York City. Friendless Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) deals drugs from his ices cart, and his parents are constantly fighting. He trades pot for therapy from psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley). Luke falls for Jeffrey's stepdaughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). She treats him like a friend at first, but he wants so much more.I wasn't sold on Josh Peck's performance at first, but it kind of grew on me. He's aimless, tired, and cynical. Ben Kingsley's character isn't much better. He spends his days smoking weed, and he rather do some groping on Mary-Kate Olsen. Olivia Thirlby plays the closest thing to a full grown adult in this movie or is she the most damaged? Director/writer Jonathan Levine brings these characters to life even though there isn't much life in these characters. It has a certain low energy charm to it all.

tieman64 Jonathan Levine's "The Wackness" stars Josh Peck as Luke, a Manhattan teen growing up in a mid 1990s New York. Levine's tone is one of nostalgic romanticism, with its washed out visual palette, sun-flares, slow-mo sequences and lyrical camera-work. Trinkents of 1994 are littered about (mix tapes, hip-hop tracks, 90s fashion, cumbersome street vending cars, Biggie, Method Man, VHS, our hero who blows air into the bottom of his Nintendo cartridge), such that the film at times feels like, say, a filmed version of the Smashing Pumkin's 1979; an ode to adolescence lost. This is a pre-Giuliani New York, before mayoral muscle cleaned up the streets and gentrified the colourful city.The plot? Luke's a troubled teen who sells drugs from his vending cart. One of his clients is Jeff Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychologist to whom he sells weed in exchange for therapy sessions. Both characters turn to drugs, sex and booze as a means of escaping what Luke calls "The Wackness", the tribulations of their daily lives. Both eventually, however, opt to live lives which joyfully take in the good with the bad, a clean up effort which is mirrored to Giuliani's purging of New York City and Times Square. Much of the film revolves around Luke's budding romance with Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), Squires' stepdaughter. He's rejected by her, but learns to embrace this wackness rather than nosediving further into a placating haze of marijuana. Many of Squire's speeches equate sex with drug addiction, and the film even goes so far as to equate the wackness – bad stuff which happens – with a failure to "score", be it sexually or a stash of drugs. If all humans are creatures of addiction, Luke muses, governed by biochemical rushes, then maybe the wackness is a good thing. Nobody wants to be high all the time.While its tone is handled better (or more interestingly) than is typical of this genre – nice near-sepia cinematography, 90s street slang, another weird performance by Kingsley, a coming of age plot which juggles well sap and heart – it's actor Josh Peck who makes the film work. Peck's a troubled child actor who's himself battling obesity and drug addiction problems. With his forlorn eyes, mouth breathing, odd facial mannerisms, unconventional style of line-reading, mix of vulnerability, depression and his sexily wounded puppy-dog look, the film wouldn't work at all without him.8.5/10 – Worth one viewing.

Steve Pulaski The Wackness is anything but wack. Our protagonist is the coolest kid on the block, as he deals enough weed to supply a month's Woodstock and becomes attached to his psychiatrist whom is also a customer of his. This is a very artsy indie film that can be listed under drama, melodrama, comedy, quirky, witty, and even coming of age.Josh Peck, the once chubby Drake & Josh star, has now evened out and is all grown up as he drops frequent f-bombs and drifted from his Nickelodeon character as far as possible. He plays Luke Shapiro, an outcast in 1994 New York City, who sells marijuana to the town to support his financially challenged family. His counselor he frequents named Dr. Jeffery Squires (Kingsley) is a soft-spoken pothead who gives Luke the oddball advice, and doesn't follow the counselor handbook very well. Luke becomes attracted to Stephanie (Thrilby) who he learns is Dr. Squires' stepdaughter. The two start hanging out, sharing secrets, and well, connecting.Luke enjoys making mixtapes on the outdated, but retro audio cassettes for his counselor and Stephanie. The music, which is composed of mainly Nas, Notorious B.I.G., and Wu Tang Clan hip hop songs, is a huge part of The Wackness. The music sort of parallels with the film because many of the songs "speak" to the film and explain what it doesn't, if that makes any sense.Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck could very well be one of the best duos in any film released in 2008. Their chemistry is formed from drugs and each other's unique way of giving advice. Luke's sense of love and compassion for others is formed from Stephanie's way of broadening his horizons to the world of attraction.Right off the bat, Luke acts like the "everythings-cool-don't-mind-me-homeboy" kind of kid, when really, he is shy and just as scared as we all are of the world. Still, he never comes off as ignorant or heartless in the film. He is one of the few protagonists I really rooted for by the end of the film. And I doubt it was because I was a fan of the Nickelodeon show Josh Peck was apart of.The Wackness is definitely an art-house film, but it shouldn't have been. It should've been released way more mainstream. It is one of the most important coming of age films next to 2010's Flipped. It's like a sponge-cake where the cake is made up of serious drama, and the icing is made up of quirkiness. Word.Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thrilby, Famke Janssen, Method Man, and Mary-Kate Olsen. Directed by: Jonathan Levine.