MovieChat Forums > The Wackness (2008) Discussion > Alright, Josh Peck, we get it already, y...

Alright, Josh Peck, we get it already, you're not a kid anymore.

posted 14 years ago by Xeokym
7 replies | jump to latest

First of all just let me point out that I did enjoy this movie. Not immensely, but it was Ok. I did not hate it. Near the end it seemed to drag a bit and I got a little bored, but fortunately it picked up and signed off quickly enough to save it from being a disaster.

But it seemed like just a vehicle for proving that Josh Peck is a big boy, all growed up. It's like, ooh, he's in an R-rated movie; he smokes, he drinks, he does and sells dope, he has sex, and he talks SO hip, man...he's got that '90s gangsta lingo down pat! I'm sorry but it made me cringe when he said stuff like, "I got mad love for you, shorty. That's on the real," or like in the middle of intercourse, when he comes, he says "ohhh, uhhh, word." LOL...SERIOUSLY?! That was bleeping hilarious! I don't care how cool the lingo sounded back then ~ hearing him attempt to use it, for reals yo, was hysterically funny, and just plain wrong! And Stephanie wasn't pulling it off with any success, either. I was cringing, too, when she would blurp out such gems of wisdom as, "it's like I just look at the dopeness, but you just look at the wackness." Honestly, I never even heard the term "wackness" until this movie. I do not remember ever hearing anyone say "wackness" (or "dopeness" for that matter) in 1994 or any other time period. Yeah, people said "that's wack," or "that's dope." But these kids just did not seem to truly be into hip-hop and rap; they seemed to have been taught a few key phrases and mannerisms just to pull off for the duration of the movie...despite the fact that Josh Peck actually DID grow up in NYC!

Regardless, I could not help but suspect that this movie was written exclusively and singularly for Josh Peck, to prove to Hollywood and the rest of the world that he's grown up, dammit, and not that innocent, chubby, nerdy Nickelodeon kiddie-star from "Drake and Josh" anymore. It was just screaming out, "look at me! I smoke and drop the F-bomb, I masturbate and have sex! Don't pigeonhole me as the geeky do-gooder step-brother I played on tv!" Am I the only one who got that feeling from this movie? Like it was jumping up and down waving trying to point out that Josh Peck is NOT G-rated anymore.

I may be wrong ~ maybe it was written first and lots of people auditioned for the role, but it feels like it was written just FOR Peck...as a kind of "break-out" movie.

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I can't understand your crazy moon language.

[–] Bojangles90 14 years ago

U da wackness, yo

[–] vince200002000 14 years ago

I agree with you on the point when Stephanie said the "Dopeness and Wackness" bit. It just sounded awkward.

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[–] DoctorWeeTodd 14 years ago

Growing up in the 2000's a white boy would get his ass beat for using as much ebonics as that. It don't jive with me that it would fly straight in the 1990's.

[–] snowy_658 14 years ago

Well, really come on, I mean he grew up in the neighborhood. Who says that blacks have the monopoly on Ebonics? He grew up in the area, why wouldn't he talk the same way they did? It's really the same, it makes since he would talk the same as they do.

[–] Xeokym 14 years ago

Growing up in the 2000's a white boy would get his ass beat for using as much ebonics as that. It don't jive with me that it would fly straight in the 1990's.

LOL I know, right? Whenever I heard someone white trying to talk like that, I don't care where they grew up, it sounded forced and intentional, not natural.

Well, really come on, I mean he grew up in the neighborhood. Who says that blacks have the monopoly on Ebonics? He grew up in the area, why wouldn't he talk the same way they did? It's really the same, it makes since he would talk the same as they do.

Well the point is, ebonics is just a politically correct way (originally) of saying "jive" or "the manner in which black people speak," even though, of course, not ALL black people talk any specific way. I can't really remember where Ebonics originated from, it might have been NYC and it may not have. But the point is, the word itself is derived from the word "ebony," meaning black, as in, the color - nothing to do with race, but that's why they used the word. "Ebonics" literally means "black-speak." So actually, blacks really do have the monopoly on Ebonics. White people tend to sound ridiculous trying to emulate it, even though there likely are some white kids who grow up with that manner of speaking and do use it more naturally. It's a silly argument, though...I never did quite understand why such a thing had to come about in the first place. Every culture of all human beings (there's only ONE race, the human race) have their own linguistics, sometimes due to geological location but of course for example, in New Orleans, the whole Cajun culture came from a variety of different cultural elements such as French inflections from the French settlers originally in that area.

Well, the character is supposed to be a douche. You are supposed to symphathize with him, but be aware that he's socially challenged, which is why they have him rehearsing "I got mad love for you, shorty. That's on the real".

Honestly, this movie just wasn't realized/cast properly. Ben Kingsly was terrible, I couldn't believe it. He read his lines in a way that awkwardly changed their meaning, and would slip into his English accent and just not seem to give a *beep* at all.

Good point you make, Magnum Opus. I totally agree with you. Like I said, I did actually enjoy the movie, it wasn't a total disaster...in fact I'm not really sure what I liked about it. I think Kingsley's character was supposed to be a jerk and the audience was supposed to find him somewhat despicable, and yet it seems to go beyond intentional and he just flat out comes off as a douche like, unintentionally. Like he wasn't trying all that hard to put out his best performance & his real attitude was sort of coming through.

Here's part of his bio from wikipedia: Peck was born in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan, New York City, where he attended The Professional Performing Arts School. His parents were unmarried at the time of his birth and Peck never knew his biological father. He grew up with his mother, Barbara, who is a career coach and his maternal grandmother. Peck had asthma during his childhood, and often stayed indoors watching old sitcoms. Peck has described himself as a "Jewish kid that grew up in New York City just trying to hustle and make it in life". He performed in children's musical theater at New York's TADA! Youth Theater when he was nine years old. He was inspired to become involved in stand-up comedy when he was eight years old. Even though he grew up in NYC, he obviously didn't hang around any gangsters or rappers...LOL. Quite the opposite, he sounds rather sheltered, and he even said that about himself in an interview. That's why his hip-hop-inspired character didn't come across as too believable, I suppose.

Like I said I'm not trying to complain or anything, I actually liked the movie for some reason & I've seen it 3x, so there's something about it that's likable, even if the "reality" of the era wasn't captured too well.

¸«¤º°»«ëÕ|{¥(V)°º¤»¸
I can't understand your crazy moon language.

[–] Magnum_opus 14 years ago

Well, the character is supposed to be a douche. You are supposed to symphathize with him, but be aware that he's socially challenged, which is why they have him rehearsing "I got mad love for you, shorty. That's on the real".

Honestly, this movie just wasn't realized/cast properly. Ben Kingsly was terrible, I couldn't believe it. He read his lines in a way that awkwardly changed their meaning, and would slip into his English accent and just not seem to give a *beep* at all.

[–] spring_june 14 years ago

I'm pretty sure she just couldn't think of how to explain it better and made up those words right then and there (the character, not the actress). People make up words all the time (like adding 'ish' to the end of something). I just figured that's what they were going for in that. Personally, I liked it. I think it showed how much the rap influenced him and how hard he was trying to fit in because he was a "loser" but it didn't quite work. Or maybe I just got mad love for this movie :)

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