The Way Back – MARCH 6th 2020

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

A widowed, former basketball all-star lost family foundation in a struggle with addiction and attempts to comeback by becoming the coach of a disparate, ethnically mixed high school basketball team at his alma mater.

MOVIESinMO REVIEW

Within the first five minutes, there’s no doubt that Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) is an alcoholic. As a matter of fact, it’s the one point the director makes sure there’s no misunderstanding about. For nearly every scene in the movie, Jack is drinking liquor, buying liquor, or stumbling home because of it. So for about the first hour, you know Jack ruined his marriage doesn’t care about anyone or anything besides getting drunk and made the decision to coach his former high school’s basketball team. You want to feel sorry for him, but he’s such an ass you almost don’t care what happens to him. It is very evident Jack needs to talk to someone or get some serious counseling, but so far, you’re still in the dark regarding his real issues. Then after about an hour into the film, everything begins to unfold as you start to find out why he is like he is. Actually, a lot of things happen after that crucial soul-crushing hour. The movie suddenly goes into information overdrive, and for the last forty-five minutes, they exploit every emotion possible. His drinking is somewhat justified, although it never stopped. The kids he was coaching became a “real” team, although, throughout his time as the coach, his methods were questioned several times. His wife hated him and loved him but ultimately understood him. By the end of the film, Jack isn’t necessarily a better person, but better accepted for his many shortcomings. Surprisingly, the best thing about this film is the lack of a stereotypical Hollywood ending. The Way Back follows a simple underdog formula that would have sunk any other movie without terrific actors like Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman, and of course, Ben Affleck, who puts in a stellar performance. So even if you think you know how it will end, watching it unfold is the reason why you want to see it. OUR RATING – A HOPEFUL 7.5

DVD/BLU-RAY/DIGITAL

Genre – Drama

Street date

Digital – March 24^th 2020

DVD/Blu-Ray – May 19^th 2020

Video – 1080p

Screen size – 2.39:1

Sound – English: Dolby Atmos,

English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles – English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Extras

• Every Loss Is Another Fight: The Road to Redemption

• The Way Back: This Sporting Life