A few years after working together on crime thriller The Accountant, Ben Affleck and director Gavin O'Connor reunite on The Way Back, which sees O'Connor return to the sports drama genre he's had plenty of success in before (previously helming Miracle and Warrior). That alone would be a compelling reason to see The Way Back, but the film's also made numerous headlines for the parallels between it and Affleck's real-life personal struggles from the past couple of years. The hope going in was that meta element would elevate the final product, and fortunately, that's what happened. The Way Back is an emotional drama bolstered by Affleck's fantastic performance, O'Connor's deft touch, and a well-rounded screenplay.
In The Way Back, Affleck stars as Jack Cunningham, a former high school basketball star whose life has fallen apart. Jack deals with the pain of a family tragedy and separating from his wife, Angela (Janina Gavankar), by drowning himself in alcohol on a daily basis. He gets a shot at redemption when he's brought in to become the head coach of his alma mater's boys basketball team, which has become a losing program in the years since Jack was a player. Jack looks to turn the team around and make a run for the playoffs, while also continuing to deal with his own issues.
Viewers will notice that Brad Ingelsby's script incorporates a number of familiar elements typically seen in films like this (i.e. Jack's team is a bunch of scrappy underdogs; there's a build-up to a "big game"). However, it's smart in the sense that it uses the formula of an inspirational sports movie to its advantage, subverting a few expectations audiences may have and creating something more powerful in the process. The film understands there are no easy solutions for Jack's problems and doesn't cut any corners throughout his character arc. The Way Back is also aided by O'Connor's sensibilities, which ground the narrative in reality, preventing it from sliding into melodramatic territory. He keeps a firm hand on the material, allowing viewers to get engaged in the story. As an added bonus, The Way Back further illustrates O'Connor's penchant for staging gripping sports sequences, as the basketball games are well-crafted and feel like the real thing.
O'Connor is very good behind the camera, but there's no denying The Way Back wouldn't work as well as it does without Affleck's involvement. As an actor, this ranks among the best work of his career; Affleck is clearly tapping into his personal demons to bring Jack to life, making this one of his most poignant and intimate turns. Affleck's work is very brave on his part and helps The Way Back achieve the necessary authenticity to pack a serious punch. Like O'Connor's directorial approach, Affleck's acting is never over-the-top, pulling off the tricky task of conveying Jack's grief in a way that's affecting enough to make audiences care about the character, but still subtle so it all feels genuine. Viewers can tell Affleck put his heart and soul into the project (his scenes with Gavankar are moving), and the film is all the better for it.
The Way Back obviously deals with some heavy subject matter, but it thankfully injects some levity into the proceedings to balance out the drama. This is most apparent in the basketball storyline, be it Jack's inability to follow the school's code of conduct policy (to the dismay of Jeremy Radin's Father Mark Whelan) or an amusing running gag involving Kenny Dawes (Will Ropp), a player on the team. Admittedly, the basketball aspects are where The Way Back has a tendency to slip into formula, but it's still executed in a way that it works. Ingelsby and O'Connor even find time to integrate some subplots into the sports storyline, where Jack works alongside athletes like Brandon (Brandon Wilson) to improve their games. The film's focus is primarily on Jack and what he's dealing with in his private life, but it's nice to see the basketball angle wasn't shortchanged - even if some of the players don't have as much to do as others.
Similar to O'Connor's Warrior, The Way Back embraces the tropes of its genre and puts a spin on them so the film is still able to make an impact on viewers. Like the best sports films, this is a basketball movie that really isn't about basketball, never forgetting the crippling addiction drama that's at its emotional core. Anyone who's a fan of O'Connor's earlier works or Affleck will surely want to check this one out on the big screen, as The Way Back is worth a trip to the theater (one doesn't even have to be all that interested in basketball to get something out of it). The Way Back is one of the better films to be released in the early part of 2020, and hopefully it (particularly Affleck's performance) isn't forgotten later in the year when awards season starts.
The Way Back is now playing in U.S. theaters. It runs 108 minutes and is rated R for language throughout including some sexual references.
