The Wackness
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby, Ben Kingsley
What's it about: In the summer of 1994, a pot-dealing teen (Peck), who sells to his shrink (Kingsley), tries to figure out his future after high school.
Up in smoke: Luke is watching his parents' life fall apart, even as he finds that the girl of his dreams (Thirlby) might be into him. This laidback comedy was a big hit at Sundance, with its hip-hop soundtrack and its anything-goes attitude toward life, love and smoking dope.
Peck, slimmed down from his days on "Drake & Josh," has a sleepy-eyed charisma and a way with a wisecrack. So does Thirlby, as the dreamgirl who is surprisingly down-to-earth; she's eager to hook up but not ready for emotional commitment, which throws Luke for a loop. But it's the bong-smoking Kingsley, as the eccentric shrink who wants to get down with the young people, who steals the show, with his loopy approach. It's a little long but worth the ride.
Long story short: This one is a hazy summer treat.
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