Making a Comeback: Ben Affleck's raw, honest performance makes familiar "The Way Back" work

The Way Back (2020)

108 min.

Screened on March 4, 2020 at UA Riverview Plaza in Philadelphia, PA

Release Date: March 6, 2020 (Wide)

There have been innumerable addiction dramas and even more underdog sports movies, and “The Way Back” is a solid but formulaic permutation of both genres. Writer-director Gavin O’Connor (2016’s “The Accountant”) and co-writer Brad Ingelsby (2015’s “Run All Night”) doesn’t pioneer anything new but isn’t really required to as long as the tried-and-true formula doesn’t hit any—or many—false, mawkish notes. Atoning for the lack of narrative surprises, the film is earnest but played with an authentic, unsentimental toughness, from the grainy hand-held cinematography and lived-in milieu. Where "The Way Back" ultimately gets its power, though, is from Ben Affleck bringing a mournful, rawly personal gravitas to his lead performance.

A burly, frequently hot-tempered Ben Affleck terrifically plays Jack Cunningham, a functioning alcoholic who works in construction and has been separated for over a year with his wife Angela (Janina Gavankar). He begins every morning with a beer in the shower and ends every work day at the neighborhood bar, only to be carried home by one of the regulars. A former basketball star in high school, Jack turned down a full scholarship to spite his father, until his Catholic alma mater comes calling one day. Father Devine (John Aylward) offers Jack a job to coach the not-so-winning Bishop Hays team of ten players, and after a bit of reluctance, Jack takes the gig to hopefully bring some structure to his life. Like any addict, he is still headed down a path of self-destruction before he can find redemption. 

Fortunately, on and off the court, “The Way Back” doesn’t take the easy route by turning simplistic or devising any emotionally manipulative melodrama. What happens to Jack is full of unvarnished pain and no overnight recovery, and despite the mid-film reveal of a tragedy from Jack’s past, it feels more acutely earned than strained or calculated. Though Ben Affleck gets the most character meat from the script, the rest of the cast lends fine support with somewhat perfunctory roles, like Michaela Watkins (2019’s “Brittany Runs a Marathon”) as Jack’s concerned sister, Janina Gavankar (2018’s “Blindspotting”) as Jack’s ex Angela, and Al Madrigal (2018’s “Night School”) as straight-laced assistant coach Dan. It’s also a testament to how likable and unaffected the young actors playing the high school players, including Brandon Wilson, Will Ropp and Charles Lott Jr., are to make enough of an impression within their single-trait types. Also, kudos to director Gavin O'Connor for actually making the basketball scenes exciting to watch for non-sports fans. Without O'Connor's understated guidance and Affleck’s truthful performance—it’s the best work of his career, for sure—this second-chance character study would come across even more familiar than it already does, but “The Way Back” works.

Grade: B -