The Way Back (2020)

In so many ways The Way Back has a very meta feel to it. Affleck's career had careened out of control, partially due to addiction related issues, and he chooses to make a film about a recovering addict who had gone through a divorce and needs to hit rock bottom. His character is super sympathetic despite all the poor choices he makes and how honestly it shows him letting down everyone around him. In some ways The Way Back feels more like PR than a movie.

But despite most of that The Way Back is generally a good movie and Affleck is generally pretty good in it. He teams with The Accountant director Gavin O'Connor, another choice which feels really calculated as that film was generally well received without having been a phenomenon. It has the sort of vibe that is perfect for rebuilding a career on. O'Connor is a competent director who knows how to tell a good story who makes pretty good films but nothing that has blown me away. Affleck eschews giving big "Oscar moment" scenes and instead restrains himself for a rather touching and interior sort of performance. It generally all comes together rather nicely.

But The Way Back never reaches great heights. It is formulaic and predictable. The ending is rushed and not really earned. We see Affleck's character do all the stumbling through addiction and some half-hearted attempts at sobriety and then all of the sudden he's in a program and on the road to recovery. The characters around him are all stock characters that go through their rather stock arcs and end up just where we expect them to.

But O'Conner gets the sports movie stuff right. Watching his basketball team play is energizing. Riding the roller-coaster of their sport season is exhilarating. The Way Back is at its best when we see the team win, loose, and do what they love.

Will this be the ticket for Affleck's return to the A-list? It feels like a very good attempt.

The Way Back
Starring: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman, Brandon Wilson
Director: Gavin O'Conner
Writer: Brad Inglesby