“And you can see Jack’s imprint all over this team.”

From The Way Back.

Ever since a tragedy several years ago, Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) has been steadily spiraling into alcoholism and now his life clearly shows the terrible effects of his alcoholic dependency.  With his marriage to Angela (Janina Gavankar) in shambles and his sister (Michaela Watkins) and family desperately trying to reach out to him Jack isolates himself with work, drinking, and little else.  However when Father Devine (John Aylward) from Jack’s old Catholic school, Bishop Hayes High School, contacts him asking him to be the coach, he is extremely hesitant, but agrees to do it.  The Bishop Hayes team is terrible and hasn’t made it to the playoffs for over 20 years since Jack was the star player, but he begins to work with assistant coach Dan (Al Madrigal) and the team chaplain (Jeremy Radin) to help the small uncohesive team beat their long-standing losing streak.  Jack must somehow find a way to bring together both the shy and showboat players (including Brandon Wilson, Melvin Gregg, Charles Lott Jr.,Fernando Luis Vega, Will Ropp, and Ben Irving) of the team to win against schools that are huge, talented, and dedicated.  After adjusting the entire playing strategy for the team, things start to turn around as they begin to win, but the closer they come to the playoffs the more situations off the court in Jack’s life push him to drink more than he ever has.  When he loses everything, Jack is left to decide how to help the boys on the team and himself find a way back.

This sports drama is full of heart and the intense roller coaster that addiction can bring to life.  The story keeps a steady pace, but leaves room for several surprising developments along the way.  Affleck embodies completely the grief of his character in a way that is both heartbreaking and captivating.  Watching the characters come back from nothing is inspiring, both on and off the court, making The Way Back a not-to-miss movie.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 108 minutes |Genre: drama/sport|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 7* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 1 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|