| The Way Back | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gavin O'Connor |
| Written by | Brad Ingelsby |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Eduard Grau |
| Edited by | David Rosenbloom |
| Music by | Rob Simonsen |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $21–25 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $15.5 million[3] |
The Way Back (titledFinding the Way Back in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is a 2020 Americansportsdrama film directed byGavin O'Connor and written byBrad Ingelsby. It starsBen Affleck in the main role,Al Madrigal,Michaela Watkins, andJanina Gavankar, and follows an alcoholic construction worker who is recruited to become head coach of the basketball team at the high school where he was a star.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on March 6, 2020, byWarner Bros. Pictures. In response to theCOVID-19 pandemiccausing cinemas across the globe to close, Warner Bros. made the film available to own digitally on March 24, 2020. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with Affleck's performance receiving praise. However, the film suffered at the box office due to COVID-19 because it was only in theaters for two weeks.
Jack Cunningham is analcoholicironworker who is separated from his wife, Angela. While atThanksgiving dinner with his family, they express concern about his habits.
The next day, Jack receives a call from Father Devine at his formerCatholichigh school, Bishop Hayes. He asks him to coach the basketball team, as the previous coach has had a heart attack. Introduced to assistant coach and algebra teacher Dan and the team members, Jack learns that the school hasn't been in the playoffs since he was a student. Interest has waned, and now there are only sixvarsity players.
Initially annoyed by Jack's stricter practices and attitude, they soon grow to respect him. The team improves and Jack begins to bond with them. His drinking decreases, and he spends more time with his family and friends. Jack and Angela attend a birthday party together for David, the son of their friend Miguel. It is revealed that their son Michael had died fromcancer. David and Michael met in the hospital, and David is now inremission.
Affected by the birthday party and memories of his son, Jack protests a call at a game, which results in him beingejected. Afterwards, Jack reveals to a player that his father only paid attention to him due to his basketball talent. As a result, Jack turned down a fullathletic scholarship to thebasketball program at theUniversity of Kansas, and hasn't played since.
The team's final game of the season is a rematch with Memorial, the top-ranked team. Bishop Hayes completes the victory to clinch a playoff berth. Later, Angela calls Jack to tell him David has been hospitalized. There, when they overhear that David's cancer has returned, Jack is disturbed upon seeing their grief. He leaves the hospital and begins drinking again.
The following morning, Jack arrives late and drunk to practice, Dan informs Father Devine who fires Jack as he says he can't trust him with the team, which Jack states he quits his job in response. This causes Jack to spiral further. One night, while driving drunk with a woman he met at a bar, Jackrear-ends a boat hitched to a parked car. She flees, telling him to enter her house through the back, but he enters the wrong house and is confronted by its occupant. Jack attempts to leave before the police arrive, but in the scuffle he falls and is knocked unconscious.
Awakening in the hospital, Jack is met by his sister, who demands that he get help for his alcoholism. He startspsychotherapy and begins opening up about his son's death. He meets with Angela and apologizes for his past mistakes. The team dedicates their first playoff game to Jack. Meanwhile, at an outdoor court, he picks up a basketball and practices shooting.
On June 11, 2018, it was announced that directorGavin O'Connor and actorBen Affleck were going to re-team on aWarner Bros. drama film, titledThe Has-Been, scripted by Brad Ingelsby about a former basketball star who has lost his wife and family foundation because of an addiction, and he attempts to regain his soul by becoming the coach of a high school basketball team at his alma mater.[4] On September 26, 2018, it was reported that comedianAl Madrigal had joined the cast of the film, now known asTorrance, to play Dan, a well mannered high school mathematics teacher and the school's assistant coach who believes in Affleck's character after the head coach quits. Producers would beJennifer Todd, Gordon Gray, Ravi Mehta, and O'Connor.[5] In October 2018,Janina Gavankar joined the cast of the film.[6] In November 2018, Brandon Wilson andRachael Carpani joined the cast of the film.[7][8] In July 2019, it was announced the title of the film wasThe Way Back.[9] In August 2019, it was announcedRob Simonsen would score the film.[10] Affleck spoke on how the film acted as a form of therapy for him following his own stints with alcoholism and rehab.[2]
Principal photography began in October 2018 around theSan Pedro andLong Beach neighborhood of Los Angeles.[11] About one-third of the film was shot in the gym ofChaffey High School inOntario, California.[12]
The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 18, 2019.[13] However, in March 2019, it was pushed back several months to March 6, 2020.[14]
On March 19, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film would be availabledigitally in the United States and Canada throughPremium VOD on March 24 due tomovie theaters closures because of theCOVID-19 pandemic restrictions. This was just two weeks after the film's theatrical debut and before the end of the usual 90-day theatrical run.[15] Another film distributed by the studio,Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, was also released earlier than expected for the same reason.[16] The film was released onBlu-ray, andDVD on May 19, 2020.[17]
The Way Back grossed $13.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $15.5 million,[3] against a production budget of $21–25 million.[1][2]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongsideOnward and the wide expansion ofEmma, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 2,718 theaters in its opening weekend.[18] It made $2.6 million on its first day. The film went on to debut to $8.5 million, finishing third at the box office.[1] The film fell 70% in its second weekend to $2.4 million, finishing seventh, largely caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[19]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The Way Back holds an approval rating of 84% based on 215 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The Way Back's occasionally frustrating treatment of a formulaic story is often outweighed by Ben Affleck's outstanding work in the central role."[20] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, andPostTrak reported it received an average 3.5 out of 5 stars from viewers they polled, with 54% saying they would definitely recommend it.[1]
Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Affleck gives the impression of intimate familiarity with the anguish and self-disgust that dominate Jack's life; this character and project clearly meant something important to him, as the title bluntly suggests, and he gives it his all without overdoing the melodrama."[22]Owen Gleiberman ofVariety said that "Ben Affleck is compelling in a drama of addiction and redemption that plays off his own tabloid odyssey. But the tabloid version was better."[23]
