Warning: Spoilers For The Way Back.
Gavin O'Connor's The Way Back may not be based on a true story, but it carries enough parallels to reality and to other sports movies to feel like it is. The movie sees Ben Affleck portray Jack Cunningham, a former high school basketball star who has since fallen on hard times with the collapse of his marriage following the death of his son. While Jack's depression from the tragic events of his life drive him to alcoholism, he begins to rebound after being recruited to coach the struggling basketball team at his old high school.
Following a delay from its originally planned release in October 2019, The Way Back has seen a highly positive reception, with much praise going towards Affleck's performance as the struggling Jack. The movie itself marks a major comeback for Affleck following his own public battle with alcoholism. Affleck's ex-wife Jennifer Garner would also play an instrumental role in keeping The Way Back alive during his recovery.
While at face value, The Way Back carries the appearance of a movie that would have a "Based on a True Story" caption during the opening credits, this ultimately is not the case. However, the movie nevertheless has a clear foundation in reality due to its parallels with Affleck's real-life struggle with alcoholism and his climb back. Here is how The Way Back has its basis in real events without literally being based on a true story.
The Way Back Isn't Based On A True Story
At a glance, The Way Back bears a surprisingly strong resemblance to what many moviegoers would expect to see from a movie based on true events. The movie is marketed on being an uplifting sports drama of a down-on-his-luck every man coach who becomes a role model for a group of adolescent athletes, while giving them the proper push to whip their flailing team into shape. This is a common premise seen in many sports dramas and sports comedies, such as Remember the Titans, Glory Road, and Cool Runnings.
Despite these surface level similarities that could probably lead some moviegoers into believing The Way Back is a big screen retelling of actual events, this is not the case. At least, not in a literal sense. However, the movie nevertheless displays similarities with the real-life struggles of its leading man, and this is where the core of its story really takes shape.
How The Way Back Tackles Ben Affleck's Personal Issues
Where The Way Back most closely parallels real-life is in Jack's alcoholism mirroring Ben Affleck's own public struggles in recent years. The Way Back press tour has seen Affleck himself be very open in this regard, describing the impact alcoholism has made on both his career and his personal life. Affleck has also quite noticeably bounced back in the the lead up to The Way Back, even sharing a heartwarming story of his son's birthday in a recent interview. However, the movie itself departs notably from the typical formula seen in most sports dramas that many audience members are probably expecting to see, and dives head on into Jack hitting rock bottom.
While The Way Back shows Jack visibly improving as he coaches the team, it also doesn't sugarcoat the effects that Jack's drinking has had on his life, with Jack remaining in mourning over the loss of his son and continuing to drink even as the team begins to succeed on the court. Where other sports dramas would have Jack quit cold turkey, The Way Back is much more open in the reality to the harm Jack's binge drinking continues to have on his life, and eventually on his ability to coach the team. In that respect, the movie presents a very candid analogy of Affleck's recent battles, while exploring the effects of alcoholism in a broader sense in a surprisingly realistic fashion.
The Way Back Is An Emotionally True Story
While The Way Back may not have a true factual basis, it is a true story in a more esoteric sense of the term. For one thing, the movie is a considerably darker story than most sports dramas, and even in comparison to Gavin O'Connor's past work in films like Miracle and Warrior. In many ways, The Way Back is far less concerned with being a basketball movie than it being a part of a larger examination of Jack's battle with alcoholism, and this is where the film's true emotional impact lies.
The Way Back is extremely straightforward in its depiction of just how much damage Jack is inflicting on his life with his drinking, and the impact that it has on his ability to coach the team. Where other sports movie see the coach by his team's side right up to the final game, The Way Back presents a very blunt acknowledgment of the point at which Jack simply cannot effectively function as coach any longer. In that regard, The Way Back is honest to a fault in not having Jack return court side just in time for the team to win the championship, but pulling him out of the game altogether when it is clear that his his own well-being is on the line.
Although the movie shares recognizable similarities with other sports movies that have been inspired by real life events, The Way Back tells a story completely of its own making, but one that nevertheless has a resonance in reality. With Affleck making a comeback with The Way Back and having other projects in the works, the film also displays very apparent parallels with his recent struggles. Along with its uncompromising honesty in the damage inflicted by alcoholism, it manages to be a "true story" in another, more abstract sense. Ultimately, The Way Back is a movie not about rising to victory on the court, but about overcoming the emotional toll that loss and addiction can take.
