Zany “Wackness” Smarter Than it Sounds
July 25th, 2008
It’s not surprising that a movie about a drug dealer is a little disorienting, but “The Wackness” is disorienting in a good kind of way.
“The Wackness” is an unusual coming-of-age story by writer-director Jonathan Levine. The story is specifically set in New York City in 1994, the hip-hop year rock star Kurt Cobain killed himself and Rudy Giuliani vowed to clean up New York.
The story begins in the spring. Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is just two weeks from high school graduation, and deeply depressed. Luke has it so bad he has taken to seeing a shrink, Dr. Jeff Squires (Sir Ben Kingsley).
“Unorthodox” doesn’t begin to describe Dr. Squires. As the story unfolds we learn he is more deeply troubled than any of his patients. The reason he knows Luke is because Luke sells him pot, or trades him for counseling sessions.
Luke has had just one failed attempt at sex, and Squires insists sex is what he needs to feel better about himself. Unfortunately for Luke and his psychiatrist, Luke falls for Dr. Squiers’ stepdaughter, Stephanie (Olivia Thrilby).
Stephanie is a woman of the world at age 18, and worlds ahead of Luke. Nevertheless, she has a fling with Luke, with predictably disastrous results.
“The Wackness” is a very funny film that turns quite serious. The most notorious thing about it is a make-out scene between Kingsley, 63, and Mary Kate Olsen, 20. It amounts to next to nothing.
What really counts is the heartfelt friendship story between the younger and older man. In many ways Luke Shapiro is far more mature than Dr. Squires, and it his youthful wisdom and honesty that saves a lost soul. The audience at Sundance 2008 got it. It was voted their favorite film.
Three and a half stars
London’s Muslim Immigrants Studied in “Brick Lane”
Muslim immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have a tough row to hoe in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, especially since the tragic events of 9/11 2001.
“Brick Lane” is a moving portrait of life in the Muslim immigrant community of Tower Hamlets in East London.
The story begins in Bangladesh, where two sisters lead a carefree, idyllic life. The life vanishes when the girls’ mother drowns. Nazneem (Tannishtha Cheatterjee) is married off to Chanu (Satish Kaushik), an older, well-educated man, who promptly moves her to London to seek his fortune. The sister stays home.
Chanu’s ambition exceeds his means. When he quits his job for being passed over for a promotion, the family, which now includes two girls, is thrown into financial crisis.
Desperate to buy food, Nazneem takes a job sewing clothes by the piece. Her employer, Karim (Christopher Simpson), is a handsome, radical Muslim who has lived in England all his life.
The attraction is mutual, and given Chanu’s tyrannical, male chauvinist attitudes, Nazneem finds it impossible to resist the charms of the younger man.
“Brick Lane” is a tale of forbidden love, based on a novel of Monica Ali, but it is more about racial prejudice and the difficulty for women living in a male-dominated society. As such it is an eye-opener, for those who will see.
Three stars
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