The Way Back started a modern awesome Ben Affleck trend that should definitely be continued. After starring as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), Affleck has returned to more traditional roles in dramas such as Jack in The Way Back, Pierre d’Alençon in The Last Duel (2021), and Vic in Deep Water (2022). His most recent role was Rex Stone in This Is Me… Now (2024), an Amazon Prime Video original film starring Affleck’s wife, pop singer Jennifer Lopez.

Although The Way Back is not based on a true story, the film featured real-life inspiration from Affleck’s personal experience with alcohol abuse. The Way Back’s ending leaves a glimpse of hope for Affleck’s Jack, who starts his long road to recovery with a basketball shot rather than an alcoholic one. Aside from being one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Affleck is also an Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Good Will Hunting, 1997) and director (Argo, 2012), winning both of the only two nominations of his career.

The Way Back Started A Trend Of Ben Affleck Basketball Movies

The Way Back and Air are both centered around the game of basketball

Following the critical acclaim of The Way Back, which earned an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, Affleck starred in another celebrated movie about basketball in 2023’s Air. Affleck also directed the film while portraying legendary Nike executive Phil Knight as part of Air’s phenomenal ensemble cast that also featured Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, and longtime collaborator Matt Damon. Air was even more celebrated by critics than The Way Back, earning an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Although The Way Back and Air are both essentially “basketball” movies, they are very different in terms of themes, style, and overall tone. Air is a compelling yet lighthearted look at the true story of one of the most influential sports marketing deals ever made, while The Way Back is a gritty, no-nonsense meditation on grief and substance abuse. Both films are celebrated for their individual merits, but Affleck has proven how basketball can act as a great dramatic setting and canvas for telling powerful and highly entertaining stories.

Ben Affleck’s Basketball Movies Weren’t Box Office Hits – But He Should Still Do More

Both of Affleck’srecent basketball themed movies have been critical successes

Although neither of Affleck’s recent basketball movies performed well at the box office, they are in no way deterrents to Affleck making more basketball-centric films. The timing of The Way Back’s release was unfortunate because of the pandemic, and Air’s box office was less significant since it went to Amazon Prime Video not long after release, where most people watched it. Still, both Air and The Way Back are two of Affleck’s best movies in recent years. Additionally, Affleck loves basketball and should continue to add to the great slate of recent basketball content such as Hustle, High Flying Bird, and The Last Dance documentary.