The Way Back Is Now Available on Blu-ray, DVD

(L-r) TYLER O’MALLEY as Daly, BEN IRVING as Bobby Freeze, HERBERT MORALES as Dearborn, ROMAN MATHIS as Carter, CHARLES LOTT JR. as Chubbs Hendricks, MATEO ORTIZ as Amato, BEN AFFLECK as Jack Cunningham and AL MADRIGAL as Dan in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “THE WAY BACK,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

The Way Back, featuring an Oscar-worthy performance from Ben Affleck, is now available for audiences to bring home on Blu-ray and DVD.

Affleck, already an Oscar winner for co-writing Good Will Hunting and producing Argo, is the current front runner for Best Actor with a masterclass performance as an alcoholic basketball coach.  Depending on how the rest of the year plays out, it’s honestly hard to see this changing.

Gavin O’Connor has done it again.  The director of Miracle and Warrior knows his way around a sports movie.  Brad Ingelsby’s script isn’t immune to some of the classic sports film cliches but that’s alright.  The most climactic scene in the film doesn’t quite hit with the level it should because we already know what’s going to happen.  When it comes to sports film, The Way Back plays it by the book.  However, Ben Affleck’s performance manages to elevate the film with his performance.

Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) isn’t living his best moment.  He’s separated from his wife, Angela (Janina Gavankar), for reasons we don’t know about when we first meet him.  Whatever the cause, it’s probably one of the reasons why he drinks to no end every single night.  Here’s a guy who had a full ride to attend Kansas University and play for the Jayhawks.  And yet, he just decides to walk away from the game.  Regardless, he needs the game as much as the game needs him.  Maybe it’s a sign but Father Devine calls him to take over the coaching duties at Bishop Hayes High School.  The team may not be playing well but it’ll give Jack something to do.  It may not stop the drinking but maybe it’ll give him some meaning in his life again.

Nevermind the aforementioned sports cliches but once the film gets into the second hour, it really gets going.  You find yourself rooting for Jack to beat his alcohol addiction.  It’s not unfair to say that coaching the basketball team has changed him.

Gavin O’Connor superbly directs this film.  We get some snippets of their basketball games throughout the season.  However, when it comes to the playoff-clinching contest, it’s no surprise that they show as much of the game on screen as possible.  Right down to the cliche slow-motion in the final seconds as they let off the last-second shot in hope of a win.  But because the film plays it by the book, we already know what’s going to happen!  Regardless, I found myself wanting to see more basketball on the screen.  It’s quite the way to kick off March Madness so to speak.

This may be a film that grounds itself through basketball but Ben Affleck delivers one of his best career performances in The Way Back.

BONUS FEATURES

  • Every Loss Is Another Fight: The Road to Redemption
  • The Way Back: This Sporting Life (Blu-ray Only)

DIRECTOR:  Gavin O’Connor
SCREENWRITER:  Brad Ingelsby
CLASS:  Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman, Brandon Wilson, Will Ropp, Charles Lott Jr., and Melvin Gregg

The Way Back is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.