Ben Affleck's Most Overlooked Movie Of The Past 5 Years Is A Must Watch Now That It's On Amazon Prime

Summary Ben Affleck's movie The Way Back received high praise for its realistic portrayal of alcoholism and his raw performance, which was heightened by his own struggles with the disease in real life.

Despite positive reviews, the film struggled at the box office as a result of its release coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Now that The Way Back is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, it has a second chance at reaching a wider audience and gaining the recognition it deserves.

Now that it's streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Ben Affleck's most underrated movie in recent years can finally find the bigger audience it deserves. Though he's had some ups and downs, Ben Affleck has managed to maintain impressive longevity in his career since making his acting debut as a child in the '80s. In the 30+ years since, the two-time Oscar winner has starred in some top-tier movies, often alongside his best friend and collaborator, Matt Damon. In addition to acting, Affleck has also established himself as a well-respected director, screenwriter, and producer.

So far, the 2020s have been somewhat hit or miss for Affleck's career. He kicked off the decade with the critically panned The Last Thing He Wanted, but made up for it by returning as Batman the following year in Zack Snyder's Justice League. In 2023, Affleck delivered (and starred in) his fifth directorial feature, Air, to high praise from critics and audiences alike. Another one of Ben Affleck's best movies from the 2020s is still criminally underrated, though, but now that it's streaming on Amazon Prime Video, it can finally get the attention it deserved when it first released.

Related The 10 Movies Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Have Made Together Over 35 Years Ben Affleck and Matt Damon share one of Hollywood's most famous bromances. Here are all their film collaborations, chronologically from 1989 to 2023.

Ben Affleck's The Way Back Is One Of His Best Movies In Recent Years

Affleck Starred As A High School Basketball Coach Struggling With Alcoholism In The 2020 Sports Drama

Close

In 2020, Affleck reunited with The Accountant director Gavin O'Connor to star in the sports drama The Way Back. Affleck plays Jack Cunningham, a former high school basketball star struggling with alcoholism as an adult. After his drinking ruined his marriage, Jack gets a second chance to get back on the right path when he is recruited to coach the basketball team at his alma mater.

Affleck's personal understanding of the demons his character in The Way Back was facing brought a level of authenticity to his performance that shines through onscreen.

The Way Back received widespread acclaim for its realistic and harrowing portrayal of the effects of alcoholism. Several reviews of The Way Back highlighted how Affleck's raw, compelling performance as the troubled Jack Cunningham was heightened by the actor's personal experiences with addiction. Though The Way Back is not based on a true story, the film heavily mirrors Affleck's real-life struggles with alcoholism, for which he'd recently received treatment at the time after relapsing. Affleck's personal understanding of the demons his character in The Way Back was facing brought a level of authenticity to his performance that shined through onscreen.

Ben Affleck Movies 2020-2024 Title Year Character Additional Roles Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics) Rotten Tomatoes Score (Audience) Box Office (Worldwide) The Last Thing He Wanted 2020 Treat Morrison 5% 14% N/A (Netflix) The Way Back 2020 Jack Cunningham 84% 84% $15.5 million Zack Snyder's Justice League 2021 Bruce Wayne / Batman Executive Producer 71% 93% N/A The Last Duel 2021 Count Pierre d'Alençon Writer, Producer 85% 81% $30.5 million The Tender Bar 2021 Uncle Charlie 51% 70% N/A (Amazon Prime Video) Deep Water 2022 Vic Van Allen 35% 24% N/A (Hulu) Clerks III 2022 Boston John 63% 93% $4.7 million Air 2023 Phil Knight Director, Producer 93% 98% $90 million Hypnotic 2023 Daniel Rourke 32% 62% $16.2 million The Flash 2023 Bruce Wayne / Batman 63% 83% $271.3 million This Is Me... Now: A Love Story 2024 Rex Stone / Biker 75% 75% N/A (Amazon Prime Video)

Related The Way Back Ending Explained The Way Back features Ben Affleck in one of his most vulnerable roles as a former basketball phenom turned head coach on a long path to redemption.

The Way Back Deserved Better At The Box Office - What Happened To It?

The Way Back Released In Theaters At The Worst Possible Time

In addition to Affleck's standout performance, The Way Back Despite its many strengths, ​​​​​​​The Way Back only made $15.5 million at the box office on a $21-25 million budget. Other than Kevin Smith's Clerks III in 2022, which featured a small Affleck cameo, The Way Back remains Affleck's lowest-earning theatrical release so far this decade. This may seem surprising given Affleck's star power and the positive reception from audiences reflected by the identical 84% audience and critics scores for The Way Back on Rotten Tomatoes. However, The Way Back's lack of commercial success was largely circumstantial.

Considering audiences loved it, The Way Back's poor box office performance can be chalked up to astronomically bad timing.

The Way Back was released in theaters on March 6, 2020, around ten days before much of the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After meeting its opening weekend projections of $7 to 10 million by debuting at $8.5 million, The Way Back dropped exponentially its second weekend, making only $2.4 million (via Box Office Mojo). Considering audiences loved it, The Way Back's poor box office performance can be chalked up to astronomically bad timing. Now that it's streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the Ben Affleck sports drama has a second chance at getting the recognition it deserves.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo