ShangLuda Admirable film.

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

ymunoz1989 This movie tries too hard to be about the 90's and fails miserably. It's annoying how Josh Peck's character says things like, "aight," "yo," "what up," and other words and phrases that middle class Caucasian boys do not usually use, which makes it obnoxious to listen to. The detachment of feelings and emotions from these characters makes it difficult to take the movie seriously (well any indie movie for that matter). What also bothered me is that Stephanie tells Shapiro that she's "done it" about a hundred times. Now I don't know about any of you guys, but I remember teens being less engaged in sex in the 90's than they are now. Being a virgin in high school up until college was not out of the norm - Having sex was. What is it about being a horrible emotionally detached person whose disconnected from reality and obsessed with sex drugs alcohol and smoking cigarettes that the liberals who make these independent films are so fond of? I don't get it, and I never will.

Scott Mellgren I almost turned off the movie after about 30 minutes. I kept waiting for something to happen. Then I was taken by surprise as I realized that all of a sudden, amazingly... the movie went places. From first love to shrinking the therapist, the movie did a nice job wrapping up all the well written and well played characters. Ben Kingsley was brilliant as usual. The evolution of the main character was superb as a coming of age film. Turned out all right.It took most of the movie to reveal what the heck "wackness" even means. Here's a comparison: The theory of Dopeness vs. Wackness. Dope people are loose, laid back, abuse substances, and tend to be stuck in a routine. Wack people are high-strung, stress riding, self esteem doubting, and optimistic about change.This film is set in 1994. The soundtrack is loaded down with period music, primarily driven by hip hop (or rap... depending on how old you are) but augmented with some classic gems. I'm not a fan of hip hop, but it wasn't a problem for me to still enjoy the movie. The themes of tagging, partying, drugging, and "hip hop" language seemed a little forced at times, but really captured the nineties.For a slow start, and minimal sub plots with no significant conflicts, I'll give it 8 out of 10.Rated R for pervasive drug use, language and some sexuality.http://fcmclub.blogspot.com/2010/04/wackness-2008.html

Matthew McNaughton I first saw this a few years ago and didn't like it that much, but I watched it again and I am a much bigger fan. Olivia Thirlby is amazing, and while she and Josh Peck didn't have much chemistry that was the point. First loves have a way of making even the smart man naive. Ben Kingsley was creepy as ish, but he made an excellent psychiatrist.It was refreshing to see a movie that didn't have a happy ending, though I do wish that Shapiro would have moved out for college. I liked the interactions between him and his 'customers' and I just love thinking about Eleanor and Squires together. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to see a good movie about a broken heart.

Steve Pulaski The Wackness is anything but wack. Our protagonist is the coolest kid on the block, as he deals enough weed to supply a month's Woodstock and becomes attached to his psychiatrist whom is also a customer of his. This is a very artsy indie film that can be listed under drama, melodrama, comedy, quirky, witty, and even coming of age.Josh Peck, the once chubby Drake & Josh star, has now evened out and is all grown up as he drops frequent f-bombs and drifted from his Nickelodeon character as far as possible. He plays Luke Shapiro, an outcast in 1994 New York City, who sells marijuana to the town to support his financially challenged family. His counselor he frequents named Dr. Jeffery Squires (Kingsley) is a soft-spoken pothead who gives Luke the oddball advice, and doesn't follow the counselor handbook very well. Luke becomes attracted to Stephanie (Thrilby) who he learns is Dr. Squires' stepdaughter. The two start hanging out, sharing secrets, and well, connecting.Luke enjoys making mixtapes on the outdated, but retro audio cassettes for his counselor and Stephanie. The music, which is composed of mainly Nas, Notorious B.I.G., and Wu Tang Clan hip hop songs, is a huge part of The Wackness. The music sort of parallels with the film because many of the songs "speak" to the film and explain what it doesn't, if that makes any sense.Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck could very well be one of the best duos in any film released in 2008. Their chemistry is formed from drugs and each other's unique way of giving advice. Luke's sense of love and compassion for others is formed from Stephanie's way of broadening his horizons to the world of attraction.Right off the bat, Luke acts like the "everythings-cool-don't-mind-me-homeboy" kind of kid, when really, he is shy and just as scared as we all are of the world. Still, he never comes off as ignorant or heartless in the film. He is one of the few protagonists I really rooted for by the end of the film. And I doubt it was because I was a fan of the Nickelodeon show Josh Peck was apart of.The Wackness is definitely an art-house film, but it shouldn't have been. It should've been released way more mainstream. It is one of the most important coming of age films next to 2010's Flipped. It's like a sponge-cake where the cake is made up of serious drama, and the icing is made up of quirkiness. Word.Starring: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Olivia Thrilby, Famke Janssen, Method Man, and Mary-Kate Olsen. Directed by: Jonathan Levine.