Anyone seeing this this weekend? I'm headed out to catch it in a couple hours, as reviews are excellent so far at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. I'm seeing a lot of positive praise on Twitter from critics I trust as well. Been looking forward to this one for a while now and will report back later tonight...

I'm looking forward to this movie. Has a modern day "Hoosiers" feel.

It doesn't go how you would think. Really good movie, great acting by Ben! Very heavy and not for the kiddos.

I wonder if this movie has some personal issues he needs to work thru, given the Hollywood gossip

It's gonna be Dennis Hopper Hoosiers, not Gene Hackman Hoosiers.

Re: the Hoosiers of it all, it's Hoosiers if the team was the B-story. Instead, this is VERY much Affleck's movie. And as sad as it is, it's not like rip-your-heart-out gut wrenching or anything like that. Don't let that aspect keep you away. It can be a tough watch, but it's also funny at times, uplifting, and worth it in the end.

Saw it. Thought this film was pretty depressing actually. Hoosiers so much better. Really liked all the basketball scenes. But this is really just a film about alcoholism and loss and trying to find the way back. The title says it all. I didn't know what to expect going in. Thought I was seeing a Hoosiers like movie. So maybe that caused my reaction. The basketball scenes were all realistic and great. Wanted even more of that.

Yeah the trailer had me thinking "this looks like a well made version of a story I've seen 100 times"

The reviews and audience score now has me wanting to see it in theaters.

Saw it last night. At first I thought it was another Hoosiers until it wasn't. Good Story, good script, good acting = good movie.

I concur. I dont really want to say anymore about the plot than what is already said because I think its actually more helpful to go to this movie without understanding all the ways it's different than most every high school sports movie ever made.

As long as you understand that this movie is R and its very much about Affleck character you'll be prepared enough.

It's good. The marketers finally dropped trailers on a movie that left me surprised in a good way and not a bad way.

The shooting locations also made the film feel fresh. A part of the LA area that doesnt get alot of screen time and it gave the film a great feel.

Glad Ben is detached from Batman. Dude seems to be in his prime telling stories that are interesting and layered behind and in front of the camera. He needs to stay in this zone and leave the big budget blockbuster popcorn movies to others.

Saw this tonight. It was awesome. One of the most realistic high school sports movies I've seen from a sports perspective. No ridiculous plays or storylines.

And the storyline with affleck was great. It's really the bigger part of the movie, but the sports story is still great.

I get why people would think it's a run of the mill sports story. But this is one of the best I've seen. It's not a cheesey Disney sports story.

Saw it. Good movie. Not your typical Disney type sports movies that one would expect.

Really good movie. I enjoyed it a lot. It defintely had a Manchester-by-the-Sea feel to it. In a way, Affleck's character also reminded me of Johnny from Cobra Kai.

Great movie and a great move. March 24.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/the-way-back-on-demand-ben-affleck-1203539823/

Reminder that this is out today on digital/streaming.

Too bad it won't be rentable for two months.

PanzerAggie06 said:

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I'm guessing the storyline goes something like this.......

Drunk becomes a basketball coach to help battle his demons.

The team is full of at-risk kids in a crap school in poor part of town.

Kids on the team are initially skeptical of the new coach.

Coach wins the kids over.

Coach slips up and does something that causes kids to again question him.

Coach wins back their trust through a touching speech.

The team wins the big game. Or, if they are defeated its sold as a moral victory.

Does Hollywood simply operate on computer programs that reimage movies that have been done so many times it's impossible to keep count? This story is about as common as the story of the big tough guy whose heart is melted by the child that enters his life, the zany cop buddy story, and the gay kid working up the courage to come out of the closet.

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I mean, I skimmed the plot on Wikipedia, and this is actually remarkably close

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. It's nothing life-changing but it's certainly worth the price of admission. I was expecting it to be a bit cookie-cutter from a sports movie standpoint but I can tell you that it's not.

As someone said, it's pretty sad in a Machester-By-the-Sea-way. You definitely feel for the guy in this movie. And, although it might have already been mentioned, this movie was apparently a way for Ben to deal with his own addiction issues and tell his story of getting over it.

Side note: I knew Ben Affleck was a big dude, but I would hate to get in a bar fight with that guy. He towers over the cast.

I thought it was good, solid movie - definitely worth a watch.

That being said, was it just me or did the baskets seem to be blatantly low in some of the shots? Maybe i'm wrong, but early on in the in-game scenes, I felt like it stood out like a sore thumb at times - like they were playing on 9-foot rims.

Glad I watched it. I was in tears several times for different reasons. Thought it was going to end on a Hoosiers moment, then it takes a gut wrenching turn.

Really really good movie.

Like TCTTS says it goes one way and looks predictable but then isn't.

Very strong performance by Affleck.

FYI this is now available on HBO Mac as of last weekend

This back and forth is the epitome of the Internet.

A person who has seen the movie versus someone who hasn't seen the movie on what the plot of the actual movie is. Perfect.