The Wackness (2008)

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 selling marijuana throughout New York City, trading it with his unorthodox psychotherapist for treatment, while having a crush on his stepdaughter.

Director:

Jonathan Levine

Writer:

Jonathan Levine

Stars:

Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby

4 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. Squires
Josh Peck	...	Luke Shapiro
Famke Janssen	...	Mrs. Squires
Olivia Thirlby	...	Stephanie
Mary-Kate Olsen	...	Union
Jane Adams	...	Eleanor
Method Man	...	Percy
Aaron Yoo	...	Justin
Talia Balsam	...	Mrs. Shapiro
David Wohl	...	Mr. Shapiro
Bob Dishy	...	Grandpa Shapiro
Joanna Merlin	...	Grandma Shapiro
Shannon Briggs	...	Bodyguard #1
Roy Milton Davis	...	Homeless Man
Alexander Flores	...	Kid in Bar

Storyline

Friendship, love, and coming of age in New York City, summer of 1994. Luke Shapiro has just graduated from high school, sells marijuana, and trades pot for therapy from a psychologist, Dr. Jeffrey Squires. Luke is attracted to a classmate, Stephanie, who's out of his league and Squires' step-daughter. By July, he's hanging out with Stephanie, taking her on his rounds selling pot out of an ice-cream pushcart. Then things take a turn. In the background, Squires and his wife as well as Luke's parents are having their troubles.

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Plot Keywords:

summer | friend | new york city | therapy | high school | 

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Taglines:

Summer 1994. The girls were fly. The music was dope. And Luke was just trying to deal.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive drug use, language and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bódulat

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$138,401, 6 July 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,077,116, 23 October 2008

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,899,975

Company Credits

Production Co:

Occupant Entertainment, SBK Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first song in the movie that Luke is listening to on his headphones is "The World is Yours," which features the lyric "I sip the Dom P, watchin' Gandhi till I'm charged." Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for portraying the title character in Gandhi (1982).

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Goofs

During the end credits, when listing Olivia Thirlby's stand-in, Thirlby is incorrectly spelled as "Thirby."

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Quotes

Dr. Squires: The city's a disaster, Luke. Its not like it used to be. It's plastic. One big fucking happy meal.
Luke Shapiro: Some people like happy meals.
Dr. Squires: Some people like the Yankees too, Luke. It doesn't mean they're right.

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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.

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Connections

Features Tetris (1984)

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Soundtracks

All the Young Dudes
Written by David Bowie
Performed by Mott the Hoople
Courtesy of Columbia records
By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

The Wackness > All The Real Girls

This might get me into trouble with the film elite, but I found this film so much more real and absorbing than David Gordon Green's "All The Real Girls." They both deal with young men coming of age thanks to first love, but this film has such superior performances and writing. Expertly directed and stacked with some of the best hip hop of the nineties, it's a film that is hilarious, sad and moving, populated with great characters you'll enjoy spending a couple of hours with.

I really wish a film like this had found me in my teenage years, because it's so refreshing and honest. It's nice to watch a movie that celebrates the time honored art of owning and embracing the pain that makes you who you are.

People whine and bitch about the glut of hollow Hollywood formula flooding the marketplace, but a great little film like The Wackness with a strong voice is not getting the support it deserves.

The entire theater loved it, as did my friends I brought along who knew nothing about it.

Do yourself a favor and go see The Wackness. You won't be disappointed.