SOHH ON THE SCENE BLOG: The Wackness Movie Review

By Danica Dow

Back in April I was invited up to the Sony screening room for an advance screening of The Wackness. I decided to hold off on writing about it until its release date which just so happens to be today. So, here’s my review:

The Wackness is a typical coming of age tale set in New York City during the summer of 1994. The main character, Luke (played by Josh Peck), is passing the summer before college by dealing pot out of a beat-up old ice cream cart, courting his dream girl Stephanie (the one that wouldn’t talk to him in high school) and forging an unlikely friendship with his depressed therapist.

I REALLY liked the movie but there were definitely a few flaws, namely the fact that I didn’t buy Josh Peck as an 18 year old, the length (a tad too long) and Method Man’s Jamaican accent (the opposite of convincing).

But the early nineties references make up for all that. We’re talking about a time period when Biggie was just coming up and Kurt Cobain had just passed away. People still drank Zima, made mixtapes (on cassette tapes) and blew into their Nintendo cartridges. Beepers and payphones were in regular rotation. Mayor Giuliani was public enemy numero uno and “wack” was a new word that could be used to describe him.

The film’s title, by the way comes from the main character’s outlook on life. According to Stephanie, Luke always focuses on “the wackness” in the world while she chooses to see… wait for it… “the dopeness.” If you’re the type of person that likes “the cheesiness,” then you’ll definitely enjoy this film.

If not, then you should at least go check it for the throwback factor and the soundtrack. In the meantime, you can download this exclusive Mixtape that D-Nice put together to promote the music from The Wackness soundtrack. It’s a seamless 25 minute mix of golden era hip-hop tracks and classic R&B cuts.

Here’s the tracklisting:

1. Intro (Heath Brothers - Smiling Billy Suite)
2. Nas - One Love
3. The Notorious BIG - The What Feat. Method Man
4. Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side
5. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It
6. KRS-One - I Can't Wake Up
7. StanleyTurrentine - Sister Sanctified
8. BDP - My Philosophy
9. Black Moon - How Many Emcees
10. O.C. - Time's Up
11. Craig Mack - Flavor In Ya Ears
12. Group Home - Supa Star
13. Biz Markie - Just A Friend
14. Freddie Scott - (You) Got What I Need
15. Wendy Rene - After Laughter (Comes Tears)
16. Wu-Tang Clan - Tearz
17. Ahmad Jamal Trio - I Love Music
18. Nas - The World Is Yours