I was checking out my Twitter feed this morning, and some user said she was happy to see a Ben Affleck comeback after watching The Way Back trailer. I’m going to amiably push back on that comment, since I actually dug Triple Frontier (released earlier this year) and Affleck was great in 2016’s The Accountant!
The Way Back centers on Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) a former basketball phenom who left the game in mysterious fashion. Now Jack’s an alcoholic, and his chances at salvaging his marriage and overcoming his addiction is relatively slim to none.
He’s offered a second chance to coach the basketball team at his alma mater, a ragtag squad that from the looks of it has no shot at winning. Can Jack pick up the pieces and will coaching this team place him back on the road to recovery?
Affleck has been transparent to the media about his own battles with alcoholism, so one would assume he has a valid and knowing approach to his role and this story.
Director Gavin O’Connor has proven he’s great at crafting stories with a redemptive family dynamic (Warrior), and The Accountant is a first rate thriller that featured one of Affleck’s finest performances in cinema. So I’m definitely betting big on The Way Back, and it will be great to see O’Connor and Affleck back in the saddle again (though I am still waiting for that long talked about sequel to The Accountant!).
The Way Back, co-starring Janina Gavankar, hits theaters March 6, 2020. Check out the trailer and feel free to share your thoughts in our comments section!
