It's hot. Damn hot. Too damn hot to sit around and sulk about the Red Sox potentially being swept later that night. The ladybird and I need relief.
While I'd prefer an air conditioner shooting directly down my shorts, I'll take relief any way I can get it. Even if that means a trip into Manhattan. We are so desperate, we head to the Times Square AMC - the same place that inspired a Tracey Morgan SNL skit and makes me seriously fear getting crushed by an escalator every time I exit.
The Dark Knight is playing, but the fan boys and screen shouters are still out in full force for that one. Instead, we're just in time to catch "The Wackness," a small coming-of-age-comedy-meets-drama-meets-indie film that had some initial appeal when I saw the trailer a few months ago. Afterall, the tagline was: "Summer 1994. The girls were fly. The music was dope. And Luke was just trying to deal." I'm such a sucker for a) good music b) anything about teenagers in the early 90's c) indie coming of age films. Perfect.
The Wackness is the story of a pot-dealing teen who exchanges his crop for therapy with an eccentric psychologist (is there any other kind in indie movies?), all while he falls in love with said psychologist's step-daughter during the summer before college.
A quick disclaimer as I may be somewhat biased: The summer of 1994 was the second best one of my life. It was the first summer with my own car, and I had a hot girlfriend I met on the beach during my killer lifeguard job. To top it off, I was heading into my Senior year in the best physical shape of my life and had just been introduction to the wonder of Great Woods concerts. End disclaimer.
The movie's setting was ideal because I could relate to many of the issues at that age/time. Lots of good hip-hop music layed the foundation as Luke (Josh Peck) began fall in love with Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), and build an almost awkward friendship with Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley). As Josh sold weed out of his ice cart as his summer job, his parents fought relentlessly about money, the pain of being a social outcast slowly began to fade away as he becomes closer with Stephanie.
The acting was fine, and the story was actually very sweet. Young love is too often cliche in movies with the protagonists falling in and out of love with one another, all while they learn valuable life lessons that neatly tie up loose ends in 90 minutes with everyone happy. While Josh, Stephanie and Squires all learn lessons, it doesn't come as easy as you may think and it certainly doesn't end up with that sugar pop feeling most teen romances do in movies. SImply put, it was one of the first teen-based movies that didn't make me wince.
But while I'd recommend the movie for the music, story and even some parts of the writing, there is one big part of the movie that I can't overlook. The overuse of nostalgia and name-dropping. We get that people played Nintendo, blew the cartridges, and listened to Biggie Smalls. It would be one thing for us to recognize that though the details of the movie's art direction and soundtrack. It's another when they remind us what's happening through the dialogue. Constantly. It's a classic case of telling, now showing. And unfortunately, it made me uncomfortable for a good portion of an otherwise pretty good film.
The inside jokes hit the mark much better (method man "the actor" dancing and nodding to "method man" the rapper in the background) and made the viewer feel like they were part of something funny and special.
Overall, the film was endearing and personal. It didn't need all the obvious time stamp references that distracted from a very unique way of showing that love is fucked up and cruel and wonderful, at the same time. Too bad. I was feeling the same way back in '94.
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