MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Sports Drama/Stars: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins, Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman, John Aylward, Todd Stashwick, Brandon Wilson, Charles Lott Jr., Will Ropp, Hayes MacArthur, Jeremy Ratchford, T. K. Carter, Da’Vinchi, Rachael Carpani, Marlene Forte, Melvin Gregg, Chris Bruno, Dan Lauria/Runtime: 108 minutes

I think it can safely be said dear reader that if there was ever a key area that most people would tell you has been a vital part to the realm of cinema seemingly since the beginning of time it would be the concept of a sport operating as a chance for an individual to achieve some kind of redemption. Indeed be it the story of the rag-tag boxer getting to show he deserved the chance to go the distance, the hockey coach transforming his rough and rowdy team of youngsters into a formidable force, the (some would claim) over the hill guy being inspired by his rag-tag youth baseball team to take a chance and go out for the Major Leagues again, or even the coach with some significant baggage finding a second chance with a small town high school basketball team in Indiana to name but a few examples I think it can be said that everyone loves a good sports-oriented underdog to top dog story. With that in mind though, I think you should know that there is something quite distinct about the underdog to top dog story I am reviewing for you today, 2020’s The Way Back. No, it’s not the fact that this is one movie that, had unforeseen circumstances not reared their ugly heads, could have been a lot more successful though I definitely think that. Nor for that matter is it the fact that this is a completely novel film (trust me when I say that it most assuredly is not). Rather, it’s the fact that I can’t recall the last time I saw a slice of cinema like this told in such a way that by the end of it made you feel less like you were watching an entry from the realm of movie magic and more like you got to watch a section of real life for a couple of hours. Yes, the playbook with which it operates is one that you most definitely have seen before in other movies in this particular genre, but there is no denying that The Way Back is able to utilize wonderful work both behind and (especially) in front of the camera to say nothing of some distinct wrinkles that you don’t normally get in a movie like this in order to transform this film into one that is beautifully moving yet also quite realistic and hard-hitting respectively. Not only in how it showcases the power an unlikely second chance can have on someone who thought he had wasted all of the ones that were allotted to him, but also in showing us the impact that inspiring others to be the best that they can be can have on a person’s life and their soul especially in regard to bringing them out of a pit of their own making.

The plot is as follows: The Way Back gets its journey underway for us by introducing us to our main character who takes the shape and form of an individual by the name of Jack Cunningham. A man who, among other attributes, has had a life that seems to have been dinged, dented, and just banged up period with more rocks than his beverage of choice. Indeed, in case you hadn’t put two and five together with the end of that previous statement dear reader, Mr. Cunningham is a member of that distinct community known as alcoholics with the distinct caveat being that he is so entrenched in the group’s less than healthy practices that he has found himself having to work a job he completely loathes, is separated from his wife whom he still cares deeply about, and is just overall a very miserable and lonely man in general. A bit tragic really to be honest with you dear reader. Not just because seeing someone suffer from a deep-rooted case of alcoholism is always difficult, but also because back in the long-ago time known as high school, this is a guy who had the world at his feet. I say that because here was a guy who was so talented at the sport of basketball that it was quite foreseeable that he was one of those rare high school phenoms you hear about who not only make it to the varsity squad in college as a freshman, but also would’ve undoubtedly had a team in the NBA sign him in a heartbeat. Yet for reasons that I shan’t spoil here, we see that instead our hero decided to the opposite and walk away from the game he loved with all his heart and being, toss his future on the biggest dumpster fire he could find, light the fire, make his way into the nearest bottle of either Jack D or Jim B that he could lay his eyes on, and has resided there pretty much ever since. Yet even though our hero’s time in the warm embrace of glory seems to have come and gone, we soon learn that it hasn’t been forgotten by everyone who knew him all the way back then. This is because, as we soon see, it isn’t long before Jack gets a rather unexpected phone call. It seems that his old alma mater’s head basketball coach has become incapacitated due to a heart attack and, needing someone to step in post haste, the school and its leadership would like him to give it a try. To everyone’s, including himself, surprise we see that our intrepid hero decides to accept the offer. Yet by doing so, we see that Jack is doing more than just taking on a new job. Rather, he is also being given one of the most precious gifts life can ever see fit to give us. That being a second chance. Not just to make up for the mistakes of the past, but also to ensure that maybe just maybe his future is not as downtrodden as his present…..

Now right off the bat, I think it can be safely said that if this slice of cinema had been made by a certain company (cough Disney cough cough), it still could have been great to be sure, but it also would have definitely held back a heck of a lot more than this one does. This would have been more than slightly to this slice of cinema’s detriment since the fact that this is an R-rated take on a story that would normally be rated PG, or PG-13 at worst, is one of the big components that aids this film in being able to distinguish itself as much as it does. Thankfully, we see that film helmer Gavin O’Connor (who has experience on the Disney side of things due to his masterful helming of their 2004 sports saga Miracle) and his team behind the camera are able to bring these two distinct worlds together in such a way that it manages to be both an inspiring sports saga as well as a riveting character analysis with a concentration on one man’s battle with addiction and his struggles to begin climbing out of that particular pit and taking control of his life again. As a result, yes we do get the typical team evolution montage and yes the movie does operate as an inspiring reaffirmation that people are capable of changing for the better. At the same time though, this slice of cinema’s script is one that also allows both the players and their coach to refreshingly talk and even act less like characters in a movie and more like actual human beings right down to certain 4-letter words and all the trimmings attached. That and by also being willing to openly show us moments throughout where our main character is hopelessly drowning in the ocean of his addiction this slice of cinema is one that is also able to feel rooted to a wonderful degree in heartbreaking reality rather than just pure cinematic fantasy. This film is also reinforced wonderfully by some truly incredible work from its cinematography department. Indeed it might have been mostly filmed around the quite lovely locale of San Pedro in California, but the cinematography department does a great job at drenching this film with either grey or colors that have been somewhat negated in order aid you in being able to identify with the main character’s fairly decayed psychological condition whilst also remembering to every so often lighten things up a tad during the moments where things look like they are improving for him. Suffice it to say that, when you also factor in wonderfully persistent yet comprehensible work from the editing department, the work being done behind the camera might be quite predictable for this kind of movie, but what ultimately helps to ensure that it soars with the rest of the film is not only the heart, emotion, and level of skill clearly on display. Rather, it’s also in how it honestly shows us that, much like in real life, bringing yourself back from the alcoholic abyss is not going to be as easy as your team winning a few games. Instead the answers are much more elusive and up to each individual to find for themselves.

Of course, the other big element to any slice of cinema working as potently as it would like to has to be the performances given by the cast of players who have been assembled in front of the camera. In that regard, I can safely say that is not an issue for this slice of cinema as the performances here are extremely well done in every sense of the word. This starts off with Ben Affleck in the lead role and honestly this is an extremely powerful performance he is giving here dear reader. Indeed I know that he has made it clear that he too also has had his own struggles with alcoholism in the past, and perhaps this is why this performance in many respects feels almost cathartic in a sense. Even with that in mind though, there was not a single moment where Affleck is not believable in this movie be it when he is operating off of booze rather than any intelligent or comprehensible human thought and who could just hit the lowest point possible at any minute or when he is this tough and driven coach who could make someone in the vein of Bobby Knight flinch with his yell. Suffice it to say that there is no doubt that Affleck has done a terrific job in other movies like Phantoms, Good Will Hunting, Hollywoodland, some of the ones he has played in for Kevin Smith, Argo, Gone Girl, Dazed and Confused, and even in Batman v. Superman (as highly flawed as that movie is) to name but a few examples. Yet for me dear reader, the fact that in this film he is starring in a role that isn’t just very true to life, but also operates as a sort of confession to who Affleck would like to genuinely be just makes his turn here quite potent and easily one of the best he has ever given us. We also get a terrific performance here from Al Madrigal in the role of team assistant head coach Dan. Yes I am very much aware that Madrigal is known more for his efforts at portraying, and extremely well I might add, quite offbeat comedic characters. As this slice of cinema’s moral core however not only does Madrigal do a really good job, but never once does his character act in a way that seems disingenuous. It is also worth noting that whilst this slice of cinema does minimize as much as possible any potential comedy which could be mined from this film, I did always find myself smiling a wee bit at the wonderful performance from Jeremy Radin who, in the role of Father Whelan, desperately tries to do everything he possibly can to ensure that both coach and his players stay true to the school’s moral code whilst on the court instead of continuously shredding it into a million pieces with every other word they speak or every other action they choose to engage in. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful work from such performers as Janina Gavankar as well as Michaela Watkins in the roles of Jack’s estranged wife Angela and his loving yet extremely concerned sister Beth respectively to name but a few of the other immensely skilled talent roster on display here it’s clear to me dear reader that whilst there are some issues to be found with this particular slice of cinema, but the cast most assuredly is not one of them.

All in all and at the end of the day, I think it can safely be said that there are quite a few distinct ways that the 2020 slice of cinema The Way Back could have managed to go catastrophically awry. Indeed not only could all the characters have been flatter than what society thought the planet Earth was back in 1492, but it also could have chosen to engage in every single sports film cliché known to man, Warner Bros. could have had the creative team really simmer down on how much they showcase the main character’s heart wrenching conflict with alcohol, and (most eyerolling of all) the whole thing could have ended with the team winning the big game and miraculously this is not only enough to cure ol’ Coach of his addictions to say nothing of uniting the long-struggling community once more, but it also sees both coach and team proudly and emotionally entering the halls of legend together. With that in mind, and in the name of fairness, there are moments where this slice of cinema does wind up tapping into the kind of aforementioned cliches just a bit more than it ought to especially with the skilled people working on it on both sides of the camera. Ultimately though, where this slice of cinema is able to overcome this particular deficit and truly score is in how it utilizes the sport of basketball as nothing more than an impactful plot device to aid in regaling us with a riveting and genuinely emotional saga of a shattered man finding the will to begin pulling himself out of the hole he has intentionally placed himself in. Suffice it to say then that, with the aid of potent work both behind and especially in front of the camera, The Way Back “2020” might not be a slice of cinema that will be everyone’s go-to crowd pleasing sports cinematic saga much like Hoosiers, Miracle, Glory Road, The Rookie “02”, or even Remember the Titans are regarded for being. Nor for that matter will it appeal to those who want the story in the movie they are watching to be wrapped up into as neat and tidy of a bow as they could hope for. With that said though, this slice of cinema might be a bit more hard-hitting than the norm and it might not give you any easy answers by the time the credits begin to roll, but there is one thing it does phenomenally well. That being that it shows the power and impact that a second chance can truly have. Not only in the lives of a team desperate for a leader to show them the way to potential greatness, but in the life of a leader who needs to find a way out of the abyss they are stuck in and, ever so slowly, back to being a productive and positively influential part of the world around them once more. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Way Back “2020” a solid 4 out of 5.