Review: The Way Back
The Way Back, the 2020 drama from director Gavin O’Connor and starring Ben Affleck, is one of the few films that actually made it into theatres prior to the onset of COVID-19, when cinemas throughout the world were forced to close. Unfortunately, despite my affinity towards Affleck, I missed it at the time, but recently decided to fire it up at home.
I’ve talked before about the power of the sports movie, of the tried and tested formula of an underdog rising up to succeed against the odds. These films usually tackle, or at least allude to, more complex themes, like racism (Remember the Titans), cultural divisions (Bend It Like Beckham), gender roles (A League of Their Own), class issues (Hoop Dreams), and the general importance of overcoming adversity (Moneyball, Coach Carter).
The Way Back is an exercise in most of the above. It follows the life of Jack Cunningham, a troubled, rough-around-the-edges former high school basketball champion whose tragic backstory has driven him to alcoholism. When Jack reluctantly agrees to coach his alma mater’s basketball team, he is forced to reckon with his past, and it’s through this newfound role that he is both challenged and revived.
The film is ham-fisted at times, so crammed full of ideas about race, class, family, masculinity, addiction, and recovery, that it doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to say. The benefit of the sports drama genre, however, is that it doesn’t really matter. All the elements of the redemption-through-teamwork formula are there, and Affleck, who is himself a recovering alcoholic, conveys the necessary darkness and untapped anguish to lend the film an authenticity that it might otherwise lack. The supporting cast, too, is solid, as the chemistry between the young men on the team means that their playful banter and hijinks are charming, rather than eye-roll inducing. Indeed, some of the most powerful scenes are between Jack and the boys he’s coaching, as he guides and inspires them, and is inspired in return.
Ultimately, the film's occasional predictability is comforting, elevated by exhilarating basketball sequences which showcase a visible improvement in the team’s skill, and a raw and honest Affleck performance which strikes that perfect balance between the everyman and the deeply personal. While other films of the same ilk conclude in complete atonement, that’s not quite the case for Jack. His life doesn’t become easy, his pain doesn’t disappear, and many of the things he desperately wants fixed simply cannot be fixed. The imparting message, then, seems to be one of hope: a reminder that change doesn’t always mean transformation, sometimes it’s just about getting off of the path to destruction, and trying something new.