Title: The Way, Way Back
Directed by: Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Release Date: July 26, 2013
Rated: PG-13
Synopsis: 14-year-old Duncan’s summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and his daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park. (Via IMDB)
Brian: I haven’t been so thoroughly entertained by a movie all year than I was with The Way, Way Back. This movie has the same amount of charm and wit and joy as Little Miss Sunshine, which also just so happened to star Toni Collette and Steve Carell. The Way, Way Back is the perfect blend of comedy and drama, with scenes that had me laughing harder than any comedy of 2013, as well as scenes that were tender and true, with a moment toward the end that brought a tear to my eye. The film was directed by the duo who co-wrote The Descendents, and they are just gifted in this kind of storytelling. It’s a simple story, not necessarily something original, but when it’s done this well, who cares? I was so happy to see teens in the audience at this movie, because I think they would love it. Avoid the latest superhero movie and try out a quirky comedy like this one once in awhile.
Shaunta: I ADORED this movie. I love it when I’m in a theater and everyone around me gets into the film. Everyone was laughing in all the right places during The Way, Way Back. It worked so well because it was so easy to relate to. Who doesn’t remember that feeling at 14 or 15 that you’re the only sane one surrounded by a bevy of insanity? The Way, Way Back is a movie about parents behaving badly, from the point of view of a smart kid who does the only thing he can think of to get out from under the mess. He gets a job at the local water park. From the opening scene, with Steve Carell being as awful as a mom’s boyfriend can be to Liam James’s character, I was sucked in. The film kept me right up to one of the best ending scenes I’ve seen in a while. In comparison to the destruction porn that’s typified this summer’s big releases, The Way, Way Back was something wonderfully different.
Brian: Of course Faxon and Rash were helped by having a first-rate cast that is just superb. Liam James is perfect as Duncan, the fourteen-year-old lead of the film whose only joy comes from working at the local water park. He brings to the character the right amount of angst in the beginning, then the right amount of confidence as his character progresses. I loved Steve Carell, playing against type as the hostile man dating Duncan’s mom, and Sam Rockwell continues to surprise and impress me, with his endearing portrait as Duncan’s older friend. Toni Collette is always great, and Allison Janney, doing a riff here on the character she played in Away We Go, had me laughing from her very first shot. I loved the Way, Way Back and can’t wait to see it again. There was never a lull in this movie, never a moment that dragged. It’s the kind of movie you can bring your whole family to, that everyone can get enjoyment out of. In these late days of summer, a movie like The Way, Way Back is a refreshing gem, with a bright cast, a wonderful story, and a perfect ending. Don’t miss this one. It’s one of my favorite films of 2013!
Shaunta: Just–go see this movie so that we can talk about it! Be prepared to hope that you never have parent fails as big as those you’ll see here. Also, be prepared to remember what it felt like to be fourteen. That’s what this movie does so perfectly. It captures that in between time and puts it on film for you. The cast is perfect. You’ll laugh, but then you’ll cry. You’ll see. You won’t be able to help it. Because the film ends the way fourteen does, with the sure knowledge that it doesn’t last forever–things get better. Seriously, I’m not going to spoil it, but I really loved the last ten or fifteen minutes of this movie.
