The Wackness

 “1994 found New York at a crossroads. And it found hip-hop at its creative apex. I suppose I was at my own crossroads in ’94, for I latched onto this music and never let it go.” Jonathan Levine spoke these words when asked what his inspiration was for creating the film, The Wackness. With times of trouble, come rays of light to carry us through. Whether those rays are music, poetry or a connection with a higher being, we are all able to identify with Jonathan’s statement and immediately feel an understanding towards him. The vulnerability and truth of his words make you believe that he knows exactly what he’s doing when creating this movie. “…credibility speaks to a writer’s honesty, respect for an audience and its values, and plain old likeability” (Lunsford 59).

When shown a cassette tape, a person’s mind immediately transcends into a state of nostalgia intertwined with a love for music. Jonathan Levine made this his goal when creating the movie and successfully achieved this pathos within just the first few seconds of the trailer. My immediate reaction upon seeing Josh Peck fill the screen was something along the lines of, “Ah! Josh from the Drake & Josh TV show!” His well-known comedic and lovable ethos already had me hooked. Still in shock from seeing Josh portray this immensely different role, my amazement continued to grow as Olivia Thirlby (from Juno), Ben Kingsley and Mary Kate Olsen were also displayed throughout the trailer; all of them playing very different roles than normal. When it comes to typecasting, “Trained actors resent being typed and often attempt to broaden their range. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t” (Understanding Movies: Casting pg. 281). Oh, it definitely worked. Safe to say, this casting director had his movie ethos check list in hand and was able to secure some of the best actors in the game. The offbeat romantic comedy drama provokes the viewer’s pathos with, in my opinion, one of the most interestingly dysfunctional story lines. It’s obvious that there is a ‘romantic comedy’ aspect in this film but this budding relationship and Josh’s ‘occupation’ seem far from ordinary – leaving your mind to wonder in fascination at what journey this film is going to take you on. If all of that is not enough to draw you in, the music will be sure to captivate you. With one of the most dope movie soundtracks to ever be created, The Wackness looks to be an all-around wonderful movie that is about to take your mind on the best excursion of your life back to the 90s. Combining all these factors and the actors history’s, my logos radar is telling me that it is absolutely vital to see this movie.

While it seems incomprehensible that a person would not be freaking out over this movie, I do realize that it does not appeal to all audiences. Unfortunately for the kiddos it is rated R, so that counts out a fairly large viewing audience. However, by having such an adult rating, the more mature viewers are drawn to the potentially intellectual and risqué content that these movies tend to have. Since The Wackness is a mind-expanding adventure, I truly believe that this movie appeals to the entire adult audience ranging from ‘barely legal’ to ‘just had a mid-life crisis.’

Before the trailer is finished, I’m already more than down to see the movie – and have a feeling that I will be buying the DVD the moment it comes out. I would gladly give this movie trailer all the tickets in the world but decide on 2 since it does exclude a specific audience. Now, do yourself a favor and check out the trailer – the enticing mellow 90s vibe and classic hits from one of the greatest rap eras are waiting!

If above embedded video doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oneLTp_0ncw