Sports go back to, at least, the mid-1800s in The United States and even further back, globally, depending on which timeline you view. At first, these were merely games that served to only waste time when there were so many more important details to focus on, but as a short amount of time went on, even the most-resistant to sports, in America, came around to the notions of how these games could be beneficial, in more ways than one.
Fast-forward to 2020 and not a moment goes by that there is not something sports-related to watch or analyze or take part in. My, how we have all come such a long ways! Now, rewind back to the mid-1900s and there you will see the addition of sports in movies. It was just a matter of time, was it not? Seriously, think about some sports films that mean something to you. Even those who rarely take interest in sports have at least one that they remember fondly.
Some filmmakers have been involved in this sub-genre of movies so often that they have turned it into a speciality. Take, for instance, Gavin O’Connor. If you look at his short list of film credits, which might just be a sample of sorts, almost half of them contain some kind of premise involving sports. It seems to have started with 2004’s “Miracle” and continues, today, with “The Way Back,” which he also produced, but did not write, unlike “Warrior” or “Brothers.” Just for the record, Brad Ingelsby is recognized as the sole screenwriter for this particular project. Apparently, the original title was “The Has-Been.” Perhaps, the potential perception of that title was deemed to be somewhat misleading for the actual movie.
Heading the cast is none other than Ben Affleck (“The Last Thing He Wanted”), as Jack Cunningham, who worked previously with O’Connor on “The Accountant.” Al Madrigal (“Night School”) came along to portray the role of Dan and, later on, Janina Gavankar (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) and Rachael Carpani joined in the process as Angela and Diane, respectively.
Cunningham is a man with a severe drinking problem and a bit of a short fuse, which tends to make for a lousy combination. Shortly after we are introduced to he and his immediate family, we are made known of his ex-wife. Soon, there is a phone call and Cunningham finds himself interviewing for a head coaching job to a basketball team he once played on. He resists the urge to take the reins, so to speak, but easily gives into his propensity for large consumptions of alcoholic beverages. In the midst of a drunken stupor, he decides to take the court.
It should not be surprising that none of the boys who make up the basketball team are familiar faces, at least not to me. 
This is an important decision by the filmmakers because, now, the audience can relate to these teenagers on a different level. One point, no pun intended, in this movie’s favor is the choreography of the basketball games. No sport is easy to write move sets for, but basketball is probably among the most-difficult and “The Way Back” made it look natural and the continuity was, also, very strong, in my estimation. 
It takes the story some time to find a good rhythm, but once Cunningham begins to blow his top around the kids and all of their families and the staff of Catholic practitioners, a new tone is set and the film begins to get more interesting. By the end, I was ready for the movie to go out on a high note, as cliché as it would have been, but that turned out not to be the case…
“The Hard Way” injected some details meant to give Cunningham more depth, such as the loss of a loved one, which contributed to the separation of he and his wife. Even though this side of the story allowed Affleck to showcase more of his dramatic acting chops than we have been privileged to see in recent years, it felt, to me, as though it were tacked on and some of the moments looked awkward and forced.
If you have ever understood the experience of feeling as though a film went on a good 20 or 30 minutes longer than it should have, then you will be able to relate to my frustration, currently.
Sports films have pretty high standards. The golden standard, at least for basketball movies, seems to still be 1986’s “Hoosiers.” One of the many details that makes it so memorable is the music. “The Hard Way” failed in this department. Another crucial detail, which I have previously touched on, is the grip of emotion and desire to relate to the onscreen characters. Though the efforts were there, the results came up a bit short, for me. I am glad that Ben Affleck could gain some cathartic perspective, in his personal life, as a result of this movie, but there is no way that I can recommend this feature to the masses of potential moviegoers, at this time. Give it a try if you are drawn to basketball sports dramas, but do not expect greatness or originality, either.
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Screenwriter: Brad Ingelsby
Music by: Rob Simonsen
Starring: Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins (“Sword of Trust”) as Beth, Janina Gavankar, Glynn Turman (“Sextuplets”) as Doc, Hayes MacArthur (“Ode to Joy”) as Eric, Rachael Carpani, Marlene Forte (“Knives Out”) as Gale and Lukas Gage (“Assassination Nation”) as Eddie
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date: March 6th, 2020
