Wackness, The

A FILM BY Jonathan Levine

The Wackness is both darkly funny and life-affirming.""""
- USA Today
The Wackness exudes a vibe that is rich in emotional truth.""""
- Peter Howell, The Toronto Star
Inspired a packed Sundance house to forget their Saturday-night pains and stand up and cheer.""""
- Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter

Synopsis

Its the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana. The newly-inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against crimes like noisy portable radio, graffiti and public drunkenness. The Wackness centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck)a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depression. Propelled by an exuberant hip hop score, The Wackness captures the spell of 1994--a time of pagers, not cell phones; a time when Tupac and Biggie were alive but Kurt Cobain had just died. Funny and moving, The Wackness is an offbeat tale of two lost souls stumbling towards maturity.

Theatrical Release Date

Friday, July 11, 2008
Original Languages: English
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Running Time: 95 min.
Year: 2008

Credits

CAST
Josh Peck
Mary-Kate Olsen
Olivia Thirlby
Ben Kingsley
DIRECTED BY
Jonathan Levine

PHOTOS

Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left to Right: Talia Balsam as Mrs. Shapiro, Josh Peck as Luke Shapiro and David Wohl as Mr. Shapiro. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left: Mary-Kate Olsen as Union, Right: Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Director Jonathan Levine. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left: Olivia Thirlby as Stephanie, Right: Josh Peck as Luke. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Director Jonathan Levine. Photo by Robin Holland, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, All Rights Reserved.
Left to Right: Josh Peck as Luke, Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Josh Peck as Luke. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left to Right: Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires, Josh Peck as Luke Shapiro. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left: Ben Kingsley as Jeffery Squires, Right: Josh Peck as Luke Shapiro. Photos by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Method Man as Percy. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Left: Sir Ben Kingsley as Dr. Squires, Right: Josh Peck as Luke. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Josh Peck as Luke Shapiro. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.
Josh Peck as Luke. Photo by JoJo Whilden, © 2008 Occupant Films, Courtesy Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved.