The Way Back

All it takes is ONE therapy session to undo years of trauma and self-sabotage! [This film brought to you by the American Psychiatry Association.]

Manchester by the gym

Rather pointless but not a bad film.

watchable

It's a great first half and a dragging second half.

I love drunk Ben Affleck, I love basketball.

A solid and slightly unconventional sports drama that is really more about the coach than the team. I deeply appreciated the way the film's ending zeroed in on that focal point. Affleck does some great work here too.

Under Quarantine Film Review #7: Sure it's formulaic and cliched but that is always the case with these sorts of films. However, it manages to overcome its faults by an outstanding performance by Ben Affleck. Coupled with his own recent addiction problems, you can tell this is a cathartic and personal project for him and I'm glad he overcame his demons.

Affleck layers his best performance in years with nuance and heartbreak as we learn the truth to Jack's struggle with alcohol as this film progresses. It's impactful and carries a heavy burden as these young men look to their struggling mentor to become leaders and winners. It does fall victim to a few cliches but what film doesn't and you can easily forgive them because of the heart of the performances by all the actors and actresses involved. A very engaging film. Emotional, raw and real.

Coaching movies and movies about addiction often go hand in hand. Something about the competitive nature of a star of yesteryear mixed with the crushing defeat of missing one's potential is potent for destructive behavior. The Way Back hits all the beats its suppose to, which doesn't allow it to break any new ground, but it does a good job in everything it does. Affleck is good to great in playing a guy that may not be all that different than himself.

I’m a sucker for anything basketball. I also loved Warrior, so I figured this would be great. Instead, it’s rather bland and forgettable. Other than a couple beautifully put together montages and a couple bits of emotionally honest dialogue, this is otherwise flavorless if not a total misfire.

I went in with fairly low expectations, anticipating this would be just another clichéd sports drama. By the end, I was sobbing. There are moments that make you cringe because you realize how real they feel, and a lot of that comes down to Ben Affleck's incredible performance and his character's authentic path throughout the movie, ending with a glimmer of hope but nothing guaranteed.

At first I was afraid it would be a Coach Carter 2.0. But it's not. It does it's own thing and is everything except a fairytale.

You'd think the team that brought us The Accountant, could have come up with something more original than this mostly depressing story about self-destructive naval-gazing.

Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) once led a very promising life. In high school, he was a top basketball player with a full scholarship in his pocket, but let his future slip out of his hands. Years later, after an unbearable loss, he is struggling with alcohol addiction. Then he is asked to coach a basketball team at his former high school, which starts to give his life some hope and shine again.

While watching I couldn't help but think about how personal this felt because of Affleck's alcoholism. He was really great in this and I hope people remember the performance at the end of the year for consideration at the very least. Aside from that it does follow a certain set of rules that the genre lives by but hey, I just like when a story is told well... and this one was. Hit the emotional highs and lows; did a good job of demonstrating addiction/destruction; had heart; not boring.

Another jewel in the Bill Simmons canon

Excellent drama about overcoming loss, addiction and depression. Just know it's not really about basketball. Great performance by Ben Affleck.

Affleck has been stigmatized for much of his on-screen career, almost always unfairly. He once again contributes a film-driving, exceptionally-believable performance; the alcoholism angle here is obviously not lost on me. This is a pretty simplistic use of the sports movie narrative trope - for all intents and purposes, this movie is The Mighty Ducks Play Christian Basketball - but sometimes tropes are tropes because they work. That's very much the case here aside from, to me, a lukewarm ending.

Average sports movie without any suspense

If you’re into Affleck and basketball it’s a good use of a night. Wish I had gotten to see this in theatres and could just vibe a bit more with it. a movie for adults that they don’t really make anymore

Sad news sports fans: alcoholism isn't cured by hugs.

So by my profile picture...you can probably tell I'm a big basketball guy. I'm sure because of that I'm a bit biased, but I really liked this. It's immediate knock is how formulaic it is, but these types of movies are always, so I don't hold it against itself. This seemed to be a passion project for Affleck, and you can tell with how great he is, especially with so much foreshadow over his own personal life. There are knit picks here and there, but I'll definitely watch again.

The whole redemption drama, "once a high school star, now a failed adult, can't deal with trauma after losing my son to cancer, ruined my marriage, trying to drink myself to death, sports might save me after all" seems too on the nose and by the numbers -- despite Affleck's good acting. But the basketball material is so good that just lifts everything else up. And O'Connor has such a good eye for shooting sports in its most dramatic, climactic moments.

it doesn't matter who wins the big game. what matters is that Affleck will be okay now. he'll...he'll finally be...okay.

A solid 2 stars out of 5. If you are looking for a basketball movie, go watch Hoosiers. If you're looking for a depressed, troubled guy that really doesn't go anywhere, watch this. It's not horrible, but it's not good either. I did enjoy seeing Al Madrigal, one of my favorite Daily Show correspondents, although his talents weren't put to much use.

I'm such a sucker for coaching films, even if they're cliché. Well, this one has all the clichés but it is more focused on the coach and his struggles, which are revealed in a good pace and Affleck carries it really really well. Decent film, nothing too special but a decent watch.

Pretty good as your typical basketball movie, albeit with less than the normal in game and in practice scenes. With the extra time though, it focuses almost entirely on one character. It does so well, but the conclusion was unsatisfying. Are we to believe he's made a sudden and complete 180 degree turnaround with total closure and a positive outlook?

God, I miss basketball.

A show on alcohol addiction that can only be watched under an elevated state on inebriation

The girls making Kenny run is maybe the cutest femdom scene in movie history.

predictable and formulaic.

I didn't find this to be bad nor overly good. Just the sort of film that I'll totally forget in a couple of days and which leaves me with a "meh" feeling.

Ben Affleck acts superbly in this not-so-original sports movie.

A never boring, constantly evolving story with several major sports coaching movie cliches. It is not special but it is very watchable