The Way Back - "Don’t underestimate the impact you can have on them."

The latest movie with Ben Affleck is a sports drama. We have an alcoholic 40 something man who is working on a construction job. He seems fine but the fact there is no wife or family is very telling. There is clearly something that bothers him because the movie emphasizes the fact that he REALLY enjoys drinking beer.

Soon after the beginning, he receives an offer to work as a basketball coach at a local school. It is at this moment when we learn he loved basketball when he was a student and he was actually the best player on the entire school, a sort of legend in the history of this small institution.

Maybe this job could help him find some balance in his life again, a balance he has clearly lost but we don't know why as of yet. The current basketball team is a complete mess, they aren't competitive, they never win, they don't follow basic strategies in the matches and their discipline should be much better.

I am not really a fan of basketball but I feel that people who follow this sport will reach a level of enjoyment that isn't possible for other people. A considerable part of the dialogue was about giving corrections to the players and explaining some movements, which I was unable to properly appreciate because again, I don't follow basketball. Perhaps if the movie was about football I would have enjoyed it more. This doesn't mean you need to be a basketball fan to enjoy this movie though.

The performances were good, Ben Affleck did a great job portraying this troubled man, he probably learned one or two things from his younger brother after winning the Oscar as Best Actor for his performances in Manchester by the Sea. The rest of the cast did a good job as well. What I think reduces some of this movie's worth is its predictability. I wasn't surprised by anything that happened on the screen, and while Ben Affleck did a good job with his character, it wasn't very moving for me.

If you enjoy sports drama make sure to give this flick a chance, it is totally watchable and for the basketball fans even more so. As a drama, I am 100% sure there are better films on the way.

The best

• Good acting from Ben Affleck.
• Entertaining movie but only at times, especially for those than enjoy basketball.

The worst

• The dramatic aspects of this story were good, but it shouldn't be hard to find a more intense drama.
• The series of events in the story were a little bit predictable, which is why I found myself checking my phone a few times.

More information: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/529485-the-way-back
Review: AAA
In numbers: 7/10