Sadly Over-hyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The insecure teenager is a recurrent theme that has already been developed, more or less successfully, a lot of times. With a hip hop and weed background, The Wackness reunites all of its clichés without managing to convince the viewer. The script is banal on every level and lacks consistency, coherence, order and dynamism to expect to arouse just a bit of interest. The plot struggles rather quickly, so much that finishing the 1h35 is a real ordeal.If there was one thing to save, it would be the excellent soundtrack, because without that, the movie would be a complete flop. Jonathan Levine, of whom it was the first experience as a director and writer, proved however three years later with 50/50 that he has potential.

This is an excellent independent movie which is a modern b movie, that exploits the life of young adult as a drug dealer for the survival of his family. It's a decent flick that promises a decent storyline. This is a stoner flick but can be watched by anyone and they would say this is a decent movie. Josh Peck plays a drug dealer which people were surprised because he was known for his nerdy roles but then you change him into a hard to believe role as a drug dealer. This film brings you into the mind of the dealer with his first love and heartbreak and many other situations. It's a very interesting indy flicks of all time that rivals the best ones of all time

The Wackness is a hugely enjoyable coming of age movie. Set in 1994 in New York, it documents the post high school summer of the loser, dope seller: Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck). Sounds average, it's not. I hate to use this adjective because it sounds ridiculous but the whole movie has such a fresh feel to it; it is immensely involving and the soundtrack compliments the film perfectly. Again, this sounds silly but the soundtrack that includes Notoriously B.I.G, Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest brings a whole new lease of life to this era of Hip-Hop. The Wackness captures the excitement around the music that was emerging when this film was set in the same way that Almost Famous brings to life the music of Led Zepplin and Elton John among others (If you haven't seen it then watch it as well).The greatest character of The Wackness is Luke's shrink Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley) who is step-dad to Jack's love interest. This drug addled, middle aged psychiatrist is a great balance to the 'bright eyed and fresh faced' Luke Shapiro. Jeffry Squires is the character who sparks and influences the 'coming of age' aspect of the film. All in all this film has an engaging storyline, and Jonathon Levine directs this film fantastically. A highlight is the soundtrack which is mainly 90's Hip-Hop. If this isn't your first choice of music give this film a chance and it may well convert you.

The Wackness is anything but wack. Our protagonist is the coolest kid on the block, as he deals enough weed to supply a month's Woodstock and becomes attached to his psychiatrist whom is also a customer of his. This is a very artsy indie film that can be listed under drama, melodrama, comedy, quirky, witty, and even coming of age.Josh Peck, the once chubby Drake & Josh star, has now evened out and is all grown up as he drops frequent f-bombs and drifted from his Nickelodeon character as far as possible. He plays Luke Shapiro, an outcast in 1994 New York City, who sells marijuana to the town to support his financially challenged family. His counselor he frequents named Dr. Jeffery Squires (Kingsley) is a soft-spoken pothead who gives Luke the oddball advice, and doesn't follow the counselor handbook very well. Luke becomes attracted to Stephanie (Thrilby) who he learns is Dr. Squires' stepdaughter. The two start hanging out, sharing secrets, and well, connecting.Luke enjoys making mixtapes on the outdated, but retro audio cassettes for his counselor and Stephanie. The music, which is composed of mainly Nas, Notorious B.I.G., and Wu Tang Clan hip hop songs, is a huge part of The Wackness. The music sort of parallels with the film because many of the songs "speak" to the film and explain what it doesn't, if that makes any sense.Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck could very well be one of the best duos in any film released in 2008. Their chemistry is formed from drugs and each other's unique way of giving advice. Luke's sense of love and compassion for others is formed from Stephanie's way of broadening his horizons to the world of attraction.Right off the bat, Luke acts like the "everythings-cool-don't-mind-me-homeboy" kind of kid, when really, he is shy and just as scared as we all are of the world. Still, he never comes off as ignorant or heartless in the film. He is one of the few protagonists I really rooted for by the end of the film. And I doubt it was because I was a fan of the Nickelodeon show Josh Peck was apart of.The Wackness is definitely an art-house film, but it shouldn't have been. It should've been released way more mainstream. It is one of the most important coming of age films next to 2010's Flipped. It's like a sponge-cake where the cake is made up of serious drama, and the icing is made up of quirkiness. Word.Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thrilby, Famke Janssen, Method Man, and Mary-Kate Olsen. Directed by: Jonathan Levine.