THE WACKNESS

Country:	USA
Language:	English
Duration:	99 minutes
Distributor:	Madman Australia
Director:	Jonathan Levine
Starring:	Josh Peck / Ben Kingsley / Famke Janssen
Genre:	Comedy/Drama
Classification:	MA 15+

Fuelled by a roaring hip-hop score, this emotional coming-of-age drama brilliantly captures the spell of New York in the summertime of 1994. There’s a pager in every pocket, Tupac is still alive, but Kurt Cobain has just died.

Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is fresh out of high school and strung out on dope and depression. He travels the streets of Manhattan selling bushels of weed from an ice-cream cart and befriends his psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley), a fellow addict and kindred lost soul who allows Luke to pay for his sessions with contraband.

The decadent doctor’s best advice is for Luke to get laid but when the target of Luke’s affection turns out to be the doc’s own stepdaughter, an ethical minefield awaits.

Funny and moving, The Wackness is an offbeat tale of two lost souls stumbling towards maturity.

What the Critics say!

“A funny, touching mood piece” Michael Sragow – Baltimore Sun

“Both darkly funny and life-affirming” Claudia Puig – USA Today

“A smart comedy” Steven Rea – Philadelphia Inquirer

“A rollicking performance by Ben Kingsley … The Wackness is a tightly packed entertainment” Duane Byrge – Hollywood Reporter

“Peck … is the most recognizable and lovable teenager we’ve seen in a film for years.” Nicholas Barber – The Independent

WINNER: Audience Award, Sundance 2008