In a summer movie season filled with a plethora of big blockbusters featuring superheroes saving the planet, robots battling monsters from another dimension, zombies plaguing the Earth, and the White House under siege from terrorists, sometimes it's nice to get away from all of the bombastic gunfire and explosions and just settle in with a nice, breezy, slice of life movie. The charming and bittersweet coming of age film The Way, Way Back is the type of funny and poignant tale that can offer you that diversion from the usual Hollywood spectacle. If you are looking for a film where you can relate to the characters and empathize with their situations then I would suggest that you make every effort to seek out this low-key charmer.
Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who nabbed an Oscar for their superb screenplay to The Descendants which starred George Clooney, The Way, Way Back centers around 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) and the summer vacation he must endure along with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Right off the bat we witness how withdrawn and introverted Duncan is as he sits sullenly in the very back of a station wagon while Trent peppers him with questions about how he sees himself. It's obvious that Duncan doesn't really care for Trent all that much and you can see why when Trent repeatedly belittles Duncan by telling him that he is no better than a 3 out of 10 on a personality scale, which is not exactly a boost to Duncan's already fragile self esteem. Duncan miserably wonders why his mother would want to be with such a jerk.
Upon arriving at Trent's beach house, we are introduced to the neighbours, the alcoholic, gregarious, cougar-like Betty (Allison Janney in a very funny performance), and her children, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), who Duncan notices immediately, and Peter, who constantly plays with his Star Wars action figures and wears an eye patch to cover up his lazy eye. Later that night, Trent has a get together with his longtime friends, Kip (Rob Corddry) and Joan (Amanda Peet), and when Duncan witnesses his mother struggling to fit in with them, he removes himself from the situation, setting up an awkward conversation with Susanna out on the porch. Embarrassed by his tongue-tied shyness around this girl he is obviously crushing on and feeling ignored by his mother and the other adults, Duncan takes off on a bicycle to go explore the town. While at the local pizza joint, he meets Owen (the always enjoyable Sam Rockwell), the owner of the Water Wizz water park, who takes a shine to the kid and ends up offering him a summer job at the park. Keeping his new job a secret from everyone he knows, Duncan begins to open up and flourish in his new found environment. He looks up to Owen as a big brother/father figure and really feels at home at the water park with Owen and his quirky co-workers, which include the likes of Maya Rudolph, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon. As Duncan further isolates himself from his mother and Trent, he begins to embrace his Water Wizz family and develops an inner resolve and maturity that will make this a summer that he will never forget.
I really enjoyed The Way, Way Back because it offered a truly funny and astute look at the awkward growing pains that every teenager goes through. The sharply written script contains just the right blend of laughs, heartbreak and angst to make this a worthy entry in the coming of age genre. Although set in the present day, the film has visual cues and an overall vibe that make it feel like something made in the 1980s. I really dug that aspect.
The performances are universally strong throughout, but the standout for me was Sam Rockwell, who consistently shines in whatever he does. His constantly joking around, slacker-ish Owen brought to mind a Meatballs-era Bill Murray, which you can never go wrong with. Despite his shenanigans, however, Owen takes Duncan under his wing and offers him the type of guidance and influence that ultimately boosts his confidence and allows him to blossom. Of course, a film centered around teenage angst wouldn't work if the lead actor were not up to task. Thankfully, Liam James does a bang-up job portraying Duncan as a socially awkward but good kid trying to find his place in both his mother's life and the world, while dealing with the feelings of first time love and all of the hilarious fumbling and stumbling that goes along with that.
I'd venture a guess and say that regardless of what your life has been like up to this point, that you are very likely to find someone in this movie that you can connect with and relate to. I know I certainly did.
The Way, Way Back is a funny, heartfelt and touching film full of wonderful performances. It's a nice movie that contains no foul language, violence or anything bad at all, and sometimes that can be a refreshing change of pace during the summer. I urge people to head down to the Paramount Theatre and give this coming of age tale a shot. I think it will put a smile on your face.
I give The Way, Way Back an 8.5 out of 10.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.