The Wackness
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Jonathan Levine
Famke Janssen
Ken Marks
Sam Dishy
Talia Balsam
Method Man
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana. The newly-inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against "crimes" like noisy portable radio, graffiti and public drunkenness. Two people, however, are missing out on the excitement: Luke is a socially uncomfortable teenage pot dealer with no friends, issues with his parents, and a colossal lack of confidence with girls. He trades weed for sessions with his therapist, Dr. Squires, whose much-younger wife is slipping away from him. Squires, a drug-addled shrink with a hairline retreating to the back of his neck and a state of mind slouching back to adolescence, is an unlikely role model--but the two of them forge a friendship based on a mutual need: getting laid. The intergenerational duo set off on a crawl that takes them all over New York, where they encounter several of Luke's "business associates," including a Phish-following dreadlocked pixie, a New Wave, keyboard-playing one-hit-wonder, and Luke's supplier. Luke has long had an aching crush on Dr. Squires' way-out-of-his league stepdaughter, Stephanie, and is stunned at his good luck when she returns his affections. Luke's innocent first love experience with Stephanie becomes a life lesson that sets him on the pathway towards adulthood. And when Squires breaks down, it is up to the younger man to throw the older one a lifeline.
Director
Jonathan Levine
Cast
Famke Janssen
Ken Marks
Sam Dishy
Talia Balsam
Method Man
Tyler Gilstrap
Joanna Merlin
Erin Elliott
Ben Kingsley
Robert Armstrong
Alexander Flores
Ross Levine
Kiah Fredericks
Ioana Alfonso
Olivia Thirlby
Nicole Berger
Dawn Noel Pignuola
Scott Canfield
Nick Schutt
Roy Milton Davis
Mary-kate Olsen
Josh Peck
Shannon Briggs
David Wohl
Jane Adams
Bob Dishy
Aaron Yoo
Natalie Ridley
Flint Beverage
Rudy Costa
Crew
Allison Adams
George Agard
Robert Alberga
Derrick Alford
Jesse Lucy Allen
Jamie Arbuckle
Tamu-ra Bakr
Adam Ballesteros
Howard Baral
Chris Barnes
Jenny Bassichis
Daniel Beaman
Mark Beattie
Robert Bell
Ronald Bell
Jim Black
Tara Blume
Carl L W Bochek
Eric Boncher
David Bowie
Steven Bragg
Jeremy Brena
Shawn J. Broes
Scott Brooks
George Brown
James Brown
Keith Calder
Andrea Grand Capone
Grant Carpenter
Travis Child
Michael Clancy
Rene Clark
Joanna Colbert
Rob Coleman
Dennis Coles
Sean Combs
John Coots
Kathleen Corbin
John Corso
Anthony Cox
Divine Cox
Larry Crane
Sidney Crooks
Jason Crump
Daisy Curbeon
Olivia Curtis
Lewis Dangelo
Evan Davies
Ryan Demaree
Paul George Divone
Dave Donars
Robert T Donovan
Leo Driver
Shannon Dry
Manny Dubon
Harriet Steel Durkes
Bridget Edwards
Corrine Ellington
Paul Epstein
Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Jen Evans
Sylvia Fay
Billy Featherstone
Lindsay Feldman
Michael Fennimore
Joe Fineman
Joe Finley
David Fisher
Joseph Fleming
Johnnie Frierson
Mary Frierson
Tori Fritz
Michelle Garcia
Eugene Gearty
Lee Genick
Sky Gewant
Chris Gewehr
Felicity Gifford
Robert Gillespie
Stephen Girouard
Jared Goldman
Billy Gooch
Eric Goodwin
Patricia Grande
James Granger
Libby Grant
John Graves
Trish Grey
Gary Grice
Linda Grimes
George Grover
Anguibe Guindo
Bruce Hall
Jonathan Hansen
David Harges
Osten S Harvey
Nicholas Hasson
Lamont Hawkins
Jimmy Heidrich
Cort Hessler Iii
Greg Highsmith
Gabe Hilfer
Ken Hoare
Jennifer Hoopes
Sierra Hornung
Joseph Howell
Jason Hunter
Ken Ishii
Milly Itzhak
Greg Izzo
Nora Jenewein
Duncan Johnson
Trevor Jolly
Russell Jones
Nasir Jones
Nasir Jones
Eric Justen
Phyllis Kaufman
R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Lisa Kisner
Ryan David Kohler
Petra Korner
Zbigniew Kouros
Eddie Koza
Katie Kramer
Beth Kuhn
Nina Kuhn
Bryan Lawson
Kristina Lee
Donovan Leitch
Donovan Leitch
Evan Levine
Jonathan Levine
Ross Stewart Levine
Pilar Limosner
Michael Lindengren
Daniel Elliott Linger
Stephen Lippross
Glenn Lloyd
Dimitri Loginowski
Donald Lyles
Craig Mack
Craig Mack
Cherish Magennis
Lamar Mahone
Maciek Malish
Method Man
Felipe Marino
Biz Markie
Biz Markie
Alisha Marks
Elizabeth Marley
Christopher E Martin
David Mcallister
Dave Mccarthy
Karen Mccarthy
Kevin Mcclean
Ian Mclaughlin
Christopher Menges
Rich Mento
Robert Mickens
Herb Middleton
Peter Moc
Eve Morrow
Allan Nadel
Shikha Narula
Karen Neasi
Joe Neurauter
Iris Ng
Josh Noyes
Joe Origlieri
Christina Ortiz
Bryan Park
Jesse Pelikan
Steve Peloquin
Jeffrey Perkins
Peter Phillips
Jeffrey Pitts
Jeffrey Porter
John H Powers
Lou Reed
Matthew Reedy
Ivonne Reimann
Danny Ritchel
Zara Roberts
Paul Robinson
Terri E Robinson
Eddie Rogers
Dawn Rosado
Samuel Rosedietcher
Ali Rossiter
Patricia Rowland
Gladys Nicole Ruiz
Randy Ryan
Benjamin Salley
Jay Sampson
Chris Santangelo
Marcus Scigliano
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Nominated for the 2008 Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay by Film Independent (FIND).
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival.
Winner of the Dramatic Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Released in United States Summer July 3, 2008
Limited Release in United States July 3, 2008
Released in United States on Video January 6, 2009
Released in United States 2008
Released in United States January 2008
Released in United States June 2008
Released in United States September 2008
Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Big Nights/Centerpiece) April 24-May 8, 2008.
Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) May 22-June 15, 2008.
Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (Spotlight) April 23-May 4, 2008.
Shown at CineVegas Film Festival (Sure Bets) June 12-21, 2008.
Shown at Edinburgh International Film Festival (Gala) June 18-29, 2008.
Shown at Los Angeles Film Festival (Summer Previews) June 19-29, 2008.
Shown at Deauville Festival of American Cinema (Premiere) September 5-14, 2008.
Project was included on the 2007 Black List.
Released in United States Summer July 3, 2008
Limited Release in United States July 3, 2008 (NY, LA)
Released in United States on Video January 6, 2009
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at San Francisco International Film Festival (Big Nights/Centerpiece) April 24-May 8, 2008.)
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at Seattle International Film Festival (Contemporary World Cinema) May 22-June 15, 2008.)
Released in United States 2008 (Shown at Tribeca Film Festival (Spotlight) April 23-May 4, 2008.)
Released in United States January 2008 (Shown at Sundance Film Festival (Dramatic Competition) January 17-27, 2008.)
Released in United States June 2008 (Shown at CineVegas Film Festival (Sure Bets) June 12-21, 2008.)
Released in United States June 2008 (Shown at Edinburgh International Film Festival (Gala) June 18-29, 2008.)
Released in United States June 2008 (Shown at Los Angeles Film Festival (Summer Previews) June 19-29, 2008.)
Released in United States September 2008 (Shown at Deauville Festival of American Cinema (Premiere) September 5-14, 2008.)
Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American distribution rights at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for a reported low seven-figure sum.
