It’s not often a basketball movie comes out in the cinema . There has only been a handful of movies in the last few decades, some have been outstanding and others have been pretty awful (watch Crossover and you’ll understand). When I saw the trailer for The Way Back I was intrigued, Ben Affleck in a basketball movie, I thought he was a baseball guy? What is The Way Back?
What is The Way Back movie? The Way Back move is the story of once a prominent high school basketball star Jake Cunningham (Ben Affleck) who had the basketball talent but never made it any further in his basketball life. Cunningham has become an alcoholic and is given an opportunity to prove his worth by coach his old high school basketball team.
What is the Plot of The Way Back?
I have watched the trailer and I think this is the main plot (if I get elements wrong I will correct it in due course).
The basketball coach of Bishop high school which Jack Cunningham (also known as Jake) used to be a superstar for has a serve heart attack. This means he is no longer able to coach the basketball team. The school principle, knowing Jake is down on his luck, offers Jake the chance to coach the basketball team. Jake is a struggling alcoholic following the death of his wife and his child being taken into care due to Jakes alcoholism.
The team itself is not very good and has not made the playoffs since Jake played for them between 1993-95. Jake builds confidence in his players, who when he joins have none, whilst he battles his own demons. It seems that Jake will face challenges on his way to becoming sober. Jake acts as a mentor to his players, making them realise their potential .
Through the coaching and the support of a friend, Jake manages to deal with his alcoholism and is allowed to have supervised visits with his son. Going to call it now, Bishop High School will win a tournament for state championship of sorts.
Is The Way Back Based on a True Story?
No The Way Back is not based on a true story. Although there could be similarities with people in the same situation however, the way back is fiction piece.
When Will The Way Back be Released?
The Way Back will be released in the USA on 6 march 2020. I would be very surprised if this movie is premiered outside of the United States.
Similarities to Hooisers
Ok, if you haven’t seen Hoosiers you need to as it’s an all time classic basketball movie (checkout our Indiana Pacers Guide to see how Hoosiers had an impact on their kit). However, in Hoosiers there is a recovering alcoholic in the form of Shooter who is played by Dennis Hopper. Shooter is the assistant coach of the Huskers and has to battle is alcoholism to help train the Huskers. There seems a strong coalition between Shooters story and that of Jake Cunningham. It is an interesting story to tell but as soon as I saw this trailer, i thought this seems familiar. Hopefully, this wont be the case and there is some originality to The Way Back.
The Way Back Soundtrack
The song Heavenly Father by Bon Iver is featured in The Way Back Trailer.
The Way Back Trailer
If you haven’t seen The Way Back trailer you can watch it below.