The Wackness (2008)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jonathan Levine

Writer (WGA):

Jonathan Levine (written by)

Release Date:

29 August 2008 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Sometimes it's right to do the wrong things.

Plot:

It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. Set against this backdrop, a lonely teenager named Luke Shapiro spends his last summer before university selling marijuana throughout New York City, trading it with his unorthodox psychotherapist for treatment, while having a crush on his stepdaughter. |

Plot Keywords:

Bad Parents | New York | Coming Of Age | Drinking | Joint

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Dr. Squires
Famke Janssen	...	Kristin Squires
Josh Peck	...	Luke Shapiro
Olivia Thirlby	...	Stephanie
Mary-Kate Olsen	...	Union
Jane Adams	...	Elanor
Method Man	...	Percy
Aaron Yoo	...	Justin
Talia Balsam	...	Mrs. Shapiro
David Wohl	...	Mr. Shapiro
Bob Dishy	...	Grandpa Shapiro
Joanna Merlin	...	Grandma Shapiro
Shannon Briggs	...	Body Guard #1
Roy Milton Davis	...	Homeless Man
Alexander Flores	...	Kid in Bar
Ken Marks	...	Oliver
Kiah Fredricks	...	Police Officer 1
Robert Armstrong	...	Principle Edwards
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Douglas J. Aguirre	...	Desk Officer in the Prison
Nicole Berger	...	Fly Girl
Charlene Biton	...	College student
Jack Caruso	...	Arresting Police Officer
Peter Conboy	...	Man on park bench
Sean Dillon	...	Gruden
Dawn Noel Pignuola	...	Fly Girl
Natalie R Ridley	...	Fly Girl
Nick Schutt	...	Albert
Kevin Cannon	...	Homeless Dealer (uncredited)
John Farrer	...	Faculty member at Graduation (uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Levine

Writing credits (WGA)
Jonathan Levine		(written by)

Produced by
Keith Calder	....	producer
Jared Goldman	....	line producer
Felipe Marino	....	producer
Joe Neurauter	....	producer
Brian Udovich	....	co-producer

Original Music by
David Torn

Cinematography by
Petra Korner

Film Editing by
Josh Noyes

Casting by
Joanna Colbert
Richard Mento

Production Design by
Annie Spitz

Art Direction by
Beth Kuhn

Set Decoration by
Cherish Magennis
Kara Zeigon

Costume Design by
Michael Clancy

Makeup Department
Daisy Curbeon	....	key hair stylist
Patricia Grande	....	hair department head
Linda Grimes	....	makeup department head
Souraya Hamdi	....	additional makeup artist
E. Morrow	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Dave Donars	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Paul Epstein	....	first assistant director
Bruce Hall	....	second assistant director
Marcus Scigliano	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Jamie Arbuckle	....	on-set dresser
Scott Canfield	....	leadman
Stephen Girouard	....	key construction grip
Greg Izzo	....	set dresser
Duncan Johnson	....	art department production assistant
Dan Kajeckas	....	camera scenic artist
Glenn Lloyd	....	art department coordinator
Adam Pessah	....	camera scenic artist
Daniel Ritchel	....	prop assistant
Greg Voth	....	graphic artist
Sabrina Wright	....	prop master

Sound Department
John-Thomas Graves	....	sound effects editor
Anguibe Guindo	....	boom operator
Ken Ishii	....	production sound mixer
Trevor Jolly	....	sound supervisor
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Joe Origlieri	....	assistant sound
Jeffrey Perkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeffrey A. Pitts	....	sound effects editor
Vance Walden	....	adr recordist

Visual Effects by
Daniel Elliott Linger	....	rotoscope artist
Dimitri Loginowski	....	digital artist
Allan Nadel	....	digital compositor
Nuncle	....	title designer
Dane Allan Smith	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Chris Barnes	....	stunt coordinator
Cort Hessler	....	stunt coordinator
Ian Mclaughlin	....	utility stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Beattie	....	rigging electrician
Daniel Beeman	....	dolly grip
George Bianchini	....	Steadicam operator
Eric Boncher	....	stage rigging gaffer
John Coots	....	best boy electric
Matt Cross	....	electrician
René Crout	....	additional first assistant camera: "b" camera
Robert DiGiacomo	....	first assistant camera: underwater scenes
Chris Dixon	....	electrician
Cory Durst	....	company grip
Jennifer Evans	....	company grip
Afton Grant	....	Steadicam operator
Milly Itzhak	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Martin Jaksa	....	grip
Ed Koza	....	company grip
Alexander Martin	....	electrician
Dave McAllister	....	key grip
Aaron Medick	....	Steadicam operator
Matthew Mendelson	....	electrician
Iris Ng	....	rigging gaffer
Steve Peloquin	....	best boy grip
Jeff Porter	....	first assistant camera
Michele SchianodiCola	....	best boy rigging electrician
Ken Shibata	....	gaffer
Yoshi Sonoda	....	electrician
Walter Strafford	....	electrician
JoJo Whilden	....	still photographer
William S. White	....	additional first assistant camera
William S. White	....	loader
David Woolner	....	electrician

Casting Department
Lee Genick	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
May Elbaz	....	stitcher
Felicity Gifford	....	set costumer
Lisa Kisner	....	production assistant: costume department
Cassidy Mosher	....	additional costumer
Laura Steinman	....	costume supervisor
Laura Steinman	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Joe Finley	....	digital intermediate colorist

Music Department
Jim Black	....	music supervisor
Gabe Hilfer	....	music coordinator
Bryan Lawson	....	music producer
Bryan Lawson	....	supervising music editor
Sam Zeines	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Rodney Tait	....	parking coordinator

Other crew
Adam Ballesteros	....	assistant: producers
Nicole Berger	....	choreographer
Sarah Berge	....	assistant: Ms. Janssen
Rob Coleman	....	location assistant
Kathleen Corbin	....	location coordinator
Harriet Steel Durkes	....	production assistant
Lindsay Feldman	....	production coordinator
Sky Gewant	....	production assistant
Billy Gooch	....	production assistant
James Granger	....	production secretary
Trish Gray	....	location scout
Todd M. Hofacker	....	assistant: Ben Kingsley
Brendan Kehoe	....	location scout
Ryan David Kohler	....	production assistant
Katie Kramer	....	production assistant
Kristina Lee	....	assistant production office coordinator
Evan Levine	....	clearance assistant
Stephen Lippross	....	production accountant
Doug McCafferty	....	production assistant
Christopher Menges	....	assistant location manager
Karen S. Neasi	....	product placement
Adam S. Poswolsky	....	location scout
Dawn Rosado	....	craft service
Collin Smith	....	location manager
Rob van de Laar	....	craft service
David Velasco	....	assistant location manager
Sharon Watt	....	script supervisor
Wendy L. York	....	additional script supervisor

Thanks
Shawn Regruto	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Occupant Films
• SBK Pictures
• Shapiro Levine Productions

Distributors

• Revolver Entertainment (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Seven Films (2008) (Greece) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2008) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Celluloid Dreams  international sales
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA)  worldwide sales
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Gotham Sound  walkies provided by
• Jive Records  soundtrack
• Nuncle  design and animation
• Occupant Films  funding
• Sylvia Fay/ Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting
• Vivid Entertainment  special thanks
• Wow & Flutter  sound post-production
• Wow & Flutter  sound re-recording

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive drug use, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min | USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Occupant Films

Trivia:

The hat that Ben Kingsley wears was his own. He grabbed it when he set off to New York to film the movie, thinking it might be useful.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: An establishing shot of a Long Island Railroad train shows a train with model M-7 cars. The M-7 railcar was not introduced into service until 2002.

Quotes:

Dr. Squires: He doesn't appreciate you.
Elanor: How do you know that?
Dr. Squires: He couldn't possibly.
Elanor: That's a compliment, right?
Dr. Squires: [touches brim of hat] Ma'am.

Movie Connections:

References "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Walk on the Wild Side

Touching period coming-of-age flick

A thirty-something's dream summer movie, a bittersweet romantic comedy ironically bleached by the day-glo hip hop soundtrack. It's better than a simple nostalgia montage though. The unlikely friendship of Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) and his psychiatrist (Kingsley) is the buddy movie subplot that might as well be the permissive 60s and its zonked-out, ideologically vacant progeny.

The two men muddle through, but it's the summer romance in summery New York that propels the film. Luke doesn't have any sort of direction until he's gifted the company of Olivia Thirlby's Stephanie, a streetwise but unthinking classmate - with mate being the operative word.

It's a pretty straightforward film. There's plenty of amiable humour and a number of small but well-drawn supporting characters. I felt it missed a trick though. The temperament of the film seems so well-judged, human but halcyon, that I was preparing myself for an enormous twist, a juddering revelation or emotional detonation. Instead Levine chokes and goes for a weak final 15 mins with too much talk and unable to stop the comic wagon on which he's carted the rest of the film along. 7/10