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The Wackness

  • 20082008
  • RR
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
31K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Wackness (2008)
This is the final theatrical trailer for The Wackness, directed by Jonathan Levine.
Play trailer2:14
13 Videos
43 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance
It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Set against this backdrop, a lonely teenager named Luke Shapiro spends his last summer before university sellin... Read allIt's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Set against this backdrop, a lonely teenager named Luke Shapiro spends his last summer before university selling marijuana throughout New York City, trading it with his unorthodox psychotherapist for t... Read allIt's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Set against this backdrop, a lonely teenager named Luke Shapiro spends his last summer before university selling marijuana throughout New York City, trading it with his unorthodox psychotherapist for treatment, while having a crush on his stepdaughter.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
31K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Jonathan Levine
  • Writer
    • Jonathan Levine
  • Stars
    • Josh Peck
    • Ben Kingsley
    • Olivia Thirlby
Top credits
  • Director
    • Jonathan Levine
  • Writer
    • Jonathan Levine
  • Stars
    • Josh Peck
    • Ben Kingsley
    • Olivia Thirlby
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 82User reviews
    • 139Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos13

    The Wackness: Final Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:14
    The Wackness: Final Theatrical Trailer
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #3
    Trailer 1:20
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #3
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #2
    Trailer 1:24
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #2
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:14
    The Wackness: Theatrical Trailer #1
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:20
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:03
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:07
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:22
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:35
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 0:52
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 0:39
    The Wackness
    The Wackness
    Clip 1:25
    The Wackness

    Photos43

    Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness (2008)
    Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck in The Wackness (2008)
    Method Man in The Wackness (2008)
    Josh Peck in The Wackness (2008)
    Josh Peck in The Wackness (2008)
    Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck in The Wackness (2008)
    Jonathan Levine in The Wackness (2008)
    Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness (2008)
    Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness (2008)
    The Wackness (2008)
    Ben Kingsley in The Wackness (2008)
    Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby in The Wackness (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Josh Peck
    Josh Peck
    • Luke Shapiroas Luke Shapiro
    Ben Kingsley
    Ben Kingsley
    • Dr. Squiresas Dr. Squires
    Olivia Thirlby
    Olivia Thirlby
    • Stephanieas Stephanie
    Famke Janssen
    Famke Janssen
    • Mrs. Squiresas Mrs. Squires
    Mary-Kate Olsen
    Mary-Kate Olsen
    • Unionas Union
    Jane Adams
    Jane Adams
    • Eleanoras Eleanor
    Method Man
    Method Man
    • Percyas Percy
    Aaron Yoo
    Aaron Yoo
    • Justinas Justin
    Talia Balsam
    Talia Balsam
    • Mrs. Shapiroas Mrs. Shapiro
    David Wohl
    David Wohl
    • Mr. Shapiroas Mr. Shapiro
    Bob Dishy
    Bob Dishy
    • Grandpa Shapiroas Grandpa Shapiro
    Joanna Merlin
    Joanna Merlin
    • Grandma Shapiroas Grandma Shapiro
    Shannon Briggs
    Shannon Briggs
    • Bodyguard #1as Bodyguard #1
    Roy Milton Davis
    Roy Milton Davis
    • Homeless Manas Homeless Man
    Alexander Flores
    Alexander Flores
    • Kid in Baras Kid in Bar
    Ross Levine
    • Blunt Boyas Blunt Boy
    Ken Marks
    • Oliveras Oliver
    Kiah Fredricks
    • Police Officer #1as Police Officer #1
    • Director
      • Jonathan Levine
    • Writer
      • Jonathan Levine
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "The What?" performed by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Method Man is playing while Luke visits his supplier Percy, who was played by Method Man.
    • Goofs
      At the end, right after Luke comes out of Dr. Squires' building, when he loads the doc's mixtape into his walkman, he has an analogue watch on his wrist, but in the next scene when he puts up his headphones, he has a digital watch.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Squires: Certain people you just can't trust, you know Luke?

      Dr. Squires: Never trust anyone who doesn't smoke pot or listen to Dylan.

      Dr. Squires: Never trust anyone who doesn't like the beach.

      Dr. Squires: Never, EVER, EVER trust anyone who says they don't like dogs!

      Dr. Squires: You meet someone who doesn't like dogs you alert the authorities IMMEDIATELY and you sure as SHIT don't MARRY THEM!

    • Crazy credits
      When the Sony Pictures Classics logo appears at the very beginning and at the very end of the film, the word "classics" is erased and replaced with a graffiti rendering of the same word.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Dark Knight/Hancock/Meet Dave/Journey to the Center of the Earth/Hellboy II: The Golden Army/The Wackness/Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      The World Is Yours
      Written by Nas (as Nasir Jones) and Pete Rock (as Peter Philips)

      Performed by Nas

      Courtesy of Columbia Records

      By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

    User reviews82

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Kingsley and Peck craft a new classic coming-of-age tale
    "The Wackness," director Jonathan Levine's eagerly-awaited followup feature to "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane," premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was immediately acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. I wasn't able to catch it at the time. Fortunately, "The Wackness" was presented in a special midnight screening not on the official SXSW Film Festival schedule. It was a special treat and quite an unexpected surprise.

    "The Wackness" is basically a two-man show, with Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck as psychiatrist Dr. Squires and his patient Luke Shapiro. The twist? One deals drugs and the other takes them. But guess who buys and who sells? And did I mention that Luke not only doles out weed to his doctor but also dates his daughter? Ahh yes...the plot thickens. Yet Squires and Shapiro forge an unlikely friendship not unlike two college buddies -- the boy is just a bit too mature for his age and the man a bit too immature, and they meet at about the same intellectual level.

    Penned by director Levine, it's a complex storyline but "The Wackness" is ultimately a character-driven piece. Kingsley's performance is a tour de farce in a daring and risky role unlike anything we've seen -- this ain't your father's Gandhi. Josh Peck, best known as television's Josh of "Josh & Drake" and to indie lovers as George, the tormented victim in "Mean Creek," is the biggest surprise here. He carries this film on his shoulders like a veteran. Olivia Thirlby ("Snow Angels," "Juno") is delightful as the object of Luke's affection.

    Production values belie the film's modest budget, especially given the cost of a location period piece -- "The Wackness" is set in New York City 1994. Music of the era naturally provides the backdrop for the duo's drug-dealing days and party nights. Drugs (selling and taking) seem to be ubiquitous in the films I've seen here at SXSW and "The Wackness'" overindulgence can be hard to watch at times. But what could have strayed into a silly variation on "Dazed & Confused" (or the recent "Charlie Bartlett") is, instead, a touching coming-of-age story as relevant today as ever. The fact that the film remains grounded in semi-reality is a tribute to the talents of Kingsley and Peck in the hands of director Jonathan Levine. This director is a force to be reckoned with now that he has "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" and "The Wackness" under his belt.
    helpful•83
    26
    • larry-411
    • Mar 14, 2008

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    Photos

    FAQ3

    • Is "The Wackness" based on a book?
    • How big of a role does Mary-Kate Olsen have in this movie?
    • Which songs are featured on the soundtrack?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 1, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Sony Classics (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Moj nori psihiater
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Occupant Entertainment
      • SBK Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $6,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,077,116
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $138,401
      • Jul 6, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,175,469
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

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