[Ben Affleck's] moving central performance largely purges the film of its high potential for the maudlin; It's a reminder that the most trite material--in this case, getting a second chance at making good--can be powerful when handled honestly
Brad Ingelsby's script follows the structure of the rousing sports drama, a genre so familiar that he can afford to strip it down to bare bones, skipping certain expected scenes and focusing on Jack's emotional journey through Ben Affleck's performance
Ben Affleck gives the impression of intimate familiarity with the anguish and self-disgust that dominate Jack's life, this character ..clearly meant something important to him, ..and he gives it his all without overdoing the melodrama
"The Way Back" is a gratifying sports movie that is made better than the average by some sadness, some realism, and Ben Affleck's performance; it is ultimately a perfectly fulfilling genre flick with just enough grit to keep it interesting
"The Way Back" is a film stuck on the runway, quietly circling around, always threatening to fly but never managing to get off the ground. It was a cathartic experience for Ben Affleck but for the rest of us, it carries very little weight
"The Way Back" constructed with an earnest spirit, and Ben Affleck carries the film well on his larger-than-usual shoulders, capably showing all sides of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic -- the funny, the sweet, the explosive and the self-destructive
by Katie Walsh [Tribune News Service ]
by Witney Seibold [IGN ]
by Benjamin Lee [The Guardian ]
