The Wackness Is Wacky

by MICHAEL PASTORINO · July 10, 2008

     In The Wackness, an unlikely friendship between a psychiatrist who repeatedly attempts suicide and a naive drug dealer brings out the best moments in this offbeat film. Rising indie star Olivia Thirlby is also great in her own combination of opposites: the girl next door who as far as lovestruck Luke’s chances go, might as well reside all the way over in Jersey.

    On the beach in Fire Island, she says, “That’s your problem, Shapiro. I see the dopeness in everything, you just see the wackness.” Which is a great message for a movie about summer in the city: that there’s no point to taking things too seriously. This fun, quirky movie could only be improved if it listened a little closer to Steph’s comment, and skipped the commentary about Giuliani and how “dope” everything was in the ‘90s, which isn’t bad but just a bit out of place.