The Wackness is the Dopeness
In celebration of July 3rd, Leon, Veronica, and I headed to Houston’s Angelika Theater post work to enjoy dis ill movie. We knew it would be love, true love, when we discovered the soundtrack was the soundtrack of our youth. Yea, we weren’t Luke Shapiro’s age in ‘94 and we definitely weren’t selling mary jane in grade school, but we totally remember Biggie as “the new shit,” which made us laugh a little each time it was referred to as such. And, it was -multiple times.
So, we rollin’ in at eight for an eight-twenty showing when, BAM… I get a craving for a coffee and V-niz, some Milk Duds. We dish out cash money for the shit and take our seats in the eight-seat-plus-middle-aisle wide theater. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know the premise of the movie. I ain’t gonna tell you ’bout it. You should already know Luke exchanges weed for therapy. What the trailer don’t show is that Luke and his family are dangerously close to eviction from their Upper East Side apartment. Yo, it’s his Dad’s fault; he went and f@#$ed up some shit.
What’s a good son like Luke to do? Sell mad weed and make lotsa money because who f@#$ wants to move to New Jersey?!
Speaking of f@#$ed up shit, Mary-Kate Olsen plays one of Shapiro’s regulars –a questionable supporting role. I’m not so sure her character is unique from her actual personality. In fact, she probably wasn’t even acting! The creds should have read “Mary-Kate Olsen stars as Mary-Kate Olsen in The Wackness.” However, she does make out with Ben Kingsley, an act far beyond her common tabloid behaviors. Some people might be into that “creepy old therapist gets with twenty-something hippie” stuff, but me? Nah, man.
Between all of the cash flow madness, philandering, and failing marriages, Luke falls in love with his shrink’s daughter, Stephanie Squires. Like all fly girls in the Summatime, she just wants to play da field. Screw that bitch!
Instead, Luke forms an unexpected friendship with her father, Jeff. While Luke sells his “ices”, Dr. Squires practices his tag, which looks quite similar to the signature on the scripts he writes for patients (and himself). Jeff becomes a bit too cocky while rediscovering his youth with Luke –this being most apparent as he tries to light a blunt in Times Square. In a futile attempt to outrun the cops, Jeff pumps his Reeboks for extra speed, a scene that almost brought me to tears, ‘cept I wasted that shit crying over the four dollaz I blew on coffee. Stupid.
Whateva, brah. If I tell you anything else you ain’t gonna need to see the movie! I’ll leave you with this dope-ass moment; Luke Shapiro sitting on the shores of Fire Island practicing his “I love you, Stephanie’s” to the long-reaching waters of the ocean until settling on the most fitting. “I got mad-love for you, Shorty.” Word, Luke. Word.