The Way Back rides on a career-best performance by Ben Affleck, and it’s a solid example of how a performance can elevate otherwise clichéd material. The Way Back is better as a character study of redemption rather than as a film about basketball. All the tropes are there, and the beat we are familiar with, so while they go down easy, it doesn’t offer anything new in that regard. Thankfully the film’s strengths are more reliable than its faults, and it’s another reminder that we need to start giving Ben Affleck way more credit than we do as an actor.
Ben Affleck agreed to do The Way Back before his personal life took a hit and fell off the wagon, which resulted in a stint in rehab. Playing Jack, a former standout high school player-turned-middle age coach trying to battle his alcohol addiction, allowed Affleck to attack this role from a place of honesty. When Affleck emerged from rehab, he had the immediacy of real-life experiences to approach this role in a much different way had he not experienced this setback. While some might think it was likely hard for him to draw on his personal experience to play this role, it was probably oddly therapeutic because he could see himself in the part and take on a similar redemption as he poured 100% of his heart into it. Affleck gives Jack layers, and we know the pain, intensity, honesty, and vulnerability in a man that is looking for another chance to turn it all around. Affleck has proven his chops many times in the past, but he’s often mentioned more for his misses. With his performance in The Way Back, he can make up for a hundred Gigli‘s based on the work he puts in here.
When we first meet Jack, his life is mostly in shambles. His wife Angela (Janina Gavankar), has left him and his dependency of alcohol runs so deep that it appears he feels he can’t entirely function without it. This is a man that takes a can of beer with him into the shower, which is just one example of his dependency. Jack sees potential redemption when he’s asked to coach the basketball team at his alma mater. The team needs a lot of work, and Jack soon realizes that he can’t work a full-time job during the day, coach the team and then drown his sorrows at his favorite bar at night. Something has to give, and the more he focuses on coaching the team, they tap into their talent and begin winning games after a dismal 1-11 start. Once Jack turns their record around, he begins to be seen as a savior of sorts. Although he begins to curb the drinking, his personal life is still in shambles, and this becomes more obvious when memories resurface that remind him of what led him to the bottle in the first place.
The Way Back is at its best and most poignant when it’s focusing on Jack’s deep emotional scars. Director Gavin O’Connor and writer Brad Ingelsby have a sturdy handle on what can cause substance abuse and the journey of recovery. Had the film only been about this, The Way Back could easily be considered one of the best movies released so far this year. What they have a problem doing is making the basketball element as compelling and because of that, it feels more like a distraction than a necessity. It’s almost as if at times they want you to believe this is more about the team than the coach and because they don’t quite find that balance, the film can falter at times when Affleck isn’t front and center. The basketball element gives it a more commercial shine as I know mainstream movies about alcoholism tend not to do massive business at the box office. Still, the honesty in the character study is far more interesting than the journey of the team.
Despite dabbling in sports clichés, The Way Back deserves your attention as a showcase for a defined and emotionally raw performance from Ben Affleck. This is the kind of movie that Affleck didn’t need to do. He likely knew it wouldn’t light the box office on fire, but the project feels personal, and it’s that connection that gives the film its emotional weight. Kudos to Affleck on a job well done because it’s a performance he should be very proud of.
