Gabby Babble's guest writer Naomi was at a special preview screening of the movie
The Wackness. Here is her review of the movie:
So we have a coming of age story about this
dude who just graduated high school and is passing the summer before college by selling drugs around New York City. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life, his parents annoy him, girls don’t get him and he is just starting to understand who he is and what life is all about… Sounds like something that has been done to death already? How ‘bout we play this out in 1994, with some hip hop score, overly used 90’s slang and nostalgic references like fly girls in the subway and “Kurt Cobain 1967-1994” memorial graffiti in the NY City streets that are being cleaned by mayor Giuliani? That should do the trick!... well, not really… not for me anyway.
As someone who is a graduate of class of ’94 I was actually looking forward to reminisce with young Josh Shapiro (Josh Peck) about the good old days and how it was becoming a young adult back then. But unfortunately, I was working that summer in the mailing room at my mom’s office so I didn’t get a chance to meet all the corky characters that Shapiro is catering for. Like his therapist, Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley) who is struggling with a serious case of midlife crisis and his second marriage falling apart and trade sessions for dope; his damaged but
mad hot stepdaughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby) who is becoming Shapiro’s love obsession and a hippie-like dreadlock pixie (Mary Kate Olsen) who is just high on life and any drug she can get her hands on.
All these colorful characters (each well played by a wonderful cast) could have been the salvation of this somewhat lacking story if they weren’t so exaggerated and cut straight out of a cartoon or comics strip and if the movie wasn’t overloaded with so many periodic innuendos (90210 is so
dope!) like one condensed time-capsule.
You may consider seeing this one if only for the great hip hop soundtrack. Me? I was more into Pearl Jam and Nirvana anyway, so I’ll pass…
Peace out!
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