The Way Back (2020)

(On Cable TV, October 2021) There have been so many movies about inspiring high-school coaches that anyone can be forgiven for mentally checking out as The Way Back begins—Ben Affleck plays a middle-aged man asked to coach his alma mater’s basketball team, and if you’re not paying attention, you’d probably expect this to go to the usual conclusion. But then there are the details surrounding the protagonist’s misery—a former basketball star, now a separated alcoholic blue-collar worker, still grieving the death of his son and not exactly a master of self-control. The Way Back isn’t just about the teenage basketball players: it’s also about the coach going through his own redemption arc, and perhaps the biggest narrative curveball of the film is that it’s not a triumphant process: there are plenty of third-act setbacks, and the conclusion barely ekes out a win. Still, Affleck does impress in an unglamorous role, with a bearded face and haggard expression telling us that this isn’t meant to be fun at all. The Way Back is not a particularly high-octane film, but it’s slightly more ambitious than many of its closest equivalents, and it ends up being slightly more than a formula. I still can’t imagine watching it a second time.