Ben Affleck Movie’s New Streaming Success Is A Reminder To Watch This 4-Year-Old Drama With 93% On Rotten Tomatoes

Summary The Way Back stars Ben Affleck as troubled coach Jack, tackling themes of alcoholism, grief, and personal redemption.

Another Round, a 2020 film, explores alcohol abuse with a more lighthearted tone than The Way Back, offering a unique perspective.

Another Round received better reviews than The Way Back for its high-concept approach and rich characters and themes.

The popularity of Ben Affleck's celebrated drama The Way Back is a great reminder to watch another 2020 movie with similar themes. Affleck stars as former high school basketball phenom Jack Cunningham and leads The Way Back's cast alongside his assistant coach Dan (Al Madrigal), his ex-wife Angela (Janina Gavankar), and his reluctant star player Brandon (Brandon Currett). The film was written by Brady Ingelsby, the creator of the celebrated HBO series Mare of Eastown, and directed by Gavin O'Connor, who is best known for his uplifting underdog sports classics such as Miracle (2004) and Warrior (2011) and previously worked with Affleck on The Accountant.

The Way Back has recently become a streaming hit on Amazon Prime Video after a brief theatrical run during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Way Back was positively reviewed by critics for the most part, earning an 84% critic score and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although The Way Back is not a true story, Affleck was outspoken upon the film's release about his own battle with alcoholism and how that experience inspired some of the qualities of his character. The powerful film is as much about mourning, grief, and substance abuse as it is about basketball, taking a darker spin on the traditional sports team underdog story.

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Another Round Is An Oscar-Winning Film With Similar Themes To Ben Affleck's The Way Back

Both follow employees at a high school who are drinking on the job

Both films were released in 2020 and are also both available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, making Another Round the perfect follow-up movie for fans of The Way Back.

Another Round shares many of the same themes of alcohol abuse as The Way Back. Interestingly, both films were released in 2020 and are also both available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, making Another Round the perfect follow-up movie for fans of The Way Back. Both films also take place at a high school, since Affleck's Jack becomes the head basketball coach of a Catholic high school in California called Bishop Hayes, while Another Round centers on a group of high school teachers in Copenhagen, Denmark. Another Round also carries a more lighthearted overall tone than The Way Back.

Another Round stars Mads Mikkelsen as Martin, one of a group of high school teachers who irresponsibly experiments with the unproven theory that a moderate daily dose of alcohol improves one's personal, social, and professional lives. While this theory works in some ways and fails in many more, Another Round introduces an intriguing concept around alcohol abuse that opens up a wider conversation. Another Round was written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm and directed by Vinterberg, both of whom collaborated with Mikkelsen on The Hunt (2012). Another Round won Best International Feature at the 2021 Academy Awards.

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How The Way Back & Another Round Each Convey Alcohol Abuse

Martin in Another Round is not drowning himself in his sorrows

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The Way Back explores alcoholism as a means of numbing oneself after an unthinkable tragedy, while Another Round more playfully questions the legitimacy of laws and conventions that chastise daily alcohol use.

The Way Back explores alcoholism as a means of numbing oneself after an unthinkable tragedy, while Another Round more playfully questions the legitimacy of laws and conventions that chastise daily alcohol use. Another Round certainly doesn't reach its conclusion without bouts of tragedy based on the main characters' persistent abuse of alcohol, but it offers an interesting dialogue about the cunning nature of alcohol and its emotionally lubricating effects along the way. Martin in Another Round is not drowning himself in his sorrows as Affleck's Jack is in The Way Back.

At the end of The Way Back, Jack is able to make a serious effort at rehabilitation after losing his position as the head coach of the basketball team. In the interest of avoiding spoilers for Another Round, Martin is confronted with challenges and repercussions from his alcohol consumption but also romanticizes his experience throughout the film, creating a complex and fascinating narrative. Both films maturely handle the sensitive subject matter with awareness and responsibility. Another Round, however, goes a step further to create a more unique perspective on not only alcohol abuse but also life in a broader sense.

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Why Another Round Has Better Reviews Than The Way Back

Another Round takes The Way Back's themes and excels on all levels

Another Round prevails in being a more high-concept film with much to discover in its rich characters, story, and themes.

The Way Back earned an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Another Round scored an impressive 93%. Affleck offers a great and convincing performance as the lead in The Way Back, although some critics noted that the story was a bit too conventional and full of safe genre tropes, which prevented the film from becoming anything more than a very good movie. Another Round, on the other hand, prevails in being a more high-concept film with much to discover in its rich characters, story, and themes. It takes the common theme of The Way Back and excels on all levels, which is likely what inspired Leonardo DiCaprio to remake Another Round, with Chris Rock set to direct.

Related "He'll Just Get Another Slap": Another Round Director Jokingly Responds To Chris Rock's American Remake Another Round director Thomas Vinterberg jokingly gives his thoughts on the American remake that Chris Rock is set to direct.

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