The Way Way Back

I adore this movie. To me, it depicts an awkward age that every introverted kid has to wrestle with, more so than more popular movies like Stand by Me. The main character is Duncan, a sullen, depressed pre-teen who vacations with his divorced mom (Toni Collette) and her obnoxious new man (Steve Carrell, a long way from Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which came out the previous year). The family heads to Carrell's beach home in an unnamed town that could be near Cape Cod, or somewhere on Long Island.

The other characters appear almost immediately as Carrell drives his station wagon with a "way way back" seat (hence the film's title) into the driveway. Characters tailor made for the comedy stylings of Allison Janey (a lush, totally flirtatious, and not the greatest role model for her children), Rob Corddry (once again playing Carrell's best friend), and Amanda Peet (as Corddry's Mr. Mister-loving current girlfriend).

Without revealing too much of the plot, during the course of the summer, Duncan pulls himself out of his shell, particularly after taking a job at a nearby water park owned by a perpetual slacker named Owen, played by Sam Rockwell, and managed by Owen's one-time girlfriend (Maya Rudolph). Owen becomes a surrogate big brother to Duncan, giving him life lessons while boosting his ego.

This is one of Sam Rockwell's most appealing characters. The talented former actor, who finally has an Oscar, as built a career out of playing weirdos or psychos. You get the feeling by the end of the movie that Owen really loves Duncan as a brother, or even son, and Rockwell's natural performance seals it. He's backed by actor and screenwriter Nate Faxon, who also co-wrote equally charming Alexander Payne comedy/drama "The Descendants," and who was so hilarious as the stoner in "Hamlet 2."

The movie has a mid '70s look and feel to it, and not just because of the car Carrell drives. The beach town is lifted straight from the town in "Jaws," yet the characters have cell phones and iPods - this odd mashing of American beach town eras gives the action in the film a nearly fantastical quality. And every character, including the kids in the film, have some zingers (the slightly older girl next door, daughter of Janney's character and played by AnnaSophia Robb, has a hilarious line about Duncan's love of REO Speedwagon).

A relatively unknown movie that you should seek out and treasure.

In all honesty, I completely loved this film, it is one of the most heartwarming coming-of-age stories of recent years and blends comedy, drama and emotion perfectly. With top notch performances, most notably from Sam Rockwell as the overzealous-yet-lovable waterpark manager Owen and Steve Carrel as the somewhat unexpectedly despicable Trent, both James and Robb also do wonders as the young duo. The film itself has a nice indie feel to it with a fantastic acoustic score, supported by some fine music choices and a generally satisfying story as a whole. A definite must-watch if you enjoy coming-of-age dramas with that hint of heartwarming humour.

It's a very good movie and surprisingly Steve can be really annoying and villainous. Sam Rockwell acts very well and story is really good. Not the usual sentimental crying at the end type of a movie so this will be enjoyable for many.

There's nothing to dislike about this movie. The actors do a terrific job all around--from the scene-stealing eyepatch kid to Allison Janey's lush to Steve Carrell's first role as a d-bag. Kudos to the kid playing Duncan and the guy playing his...boss? mentor? friend? saviour?--or all of the above. The scenery is lovely and convincingly real--no beach McMansions with $6,500 Wolf ranges. It shows what a real beach community looks like. The '70 Buick Estate Wagon is sublime and had me kvelling.

But it's the story that really makes the viewer smile. Duncan is a lost, lonely, mess...14, stuck with his mom whom he loves (but doesn't really respect), her douchebag boyfriend, boyfriend's daughter, and not much else. He finds his way in a way that defines a coming-of-age story. The Water Wizz guy--channeling Bill Murray in Meatballs in an obvious homage--does a great job, never losing sight of his own challenges in life while helping young Duncan emerge from his painful shell.

"Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing"- Naomi Shihab Nye

Directed and co-written by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash who won an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants, The Way Way Back is a warmhearted and beautifully realized teen comedy that is as poignant as it is funny. Though there are more coming-of-age films than references to God in the Bible, very few have really hit home for me as much as this one. Of course, there are the usual complaints from critics about how it "doesn't break any new ground" as if it was a construction site, but to me it felt fresh and alive with real and relatable characters far removed from the stereotypes of most films in this genre.

In the film, 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is a sullen, withdrawn adolescent whose shaky self-image is not helped by his divorced mother Pam's (Toni Collette) and her obnoxious boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), or his snippy daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). On the drive to spend the summer at Trent's beach house called "The Riptide," Trent asks him how he would rate himself on a scale of one to ten. Not normally being asked to rate oneself, Duncan might have said "two thumbs up," if he thought about it, but all he can think of to say is a six.

When Trent tells him (calling him Buddy as he does throughout the film as if he has no name) that he thinks he is a three because he doesn't put himself out to people, he might think he is showing some tough love, but the result is that Duncan is pushed deeper into his shell. As Albert Einstein said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." At the New England beach house as his mother tries to make everyone happy, Duncan has to deal with adults whose maturity level on a scale of one to ten might be so low as to be off the charts. There is the boozy and off-the-wall neighbor Betty (Allison Janney) as well as Trent's friends Kip and Joan (Robb Corddry and Amanda Peet), all engaging in what Betty calls "Spring break for adults."

To make matters more uncomfortable, Betty's daughter Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), who is slightly older than Duncan, tries to engage him in conversation but the stoop-shouldered boy is too withdrawn to respond. He is more at ease with Betty's younger son Peter (River Alexander) who is constantly being teased about his unfocused left eye. On one of his frequent bike rides on the pink bike he discovers in the garage, however, Duncan finds a kindred spirit at the Wizz World Water Park in the person of Owen (Sam Rockwell), the park's manager. As are-free and ungrounded as some of the other adults in the film, Owen has one attribute the others lack. He has a terrific sense of humor and takes an interest in the people around him.

These include long-time employee Maya Rudolph (Caitlyn) who had only planned to stay one summer but is drawn back by Owen's charm and wit. Owen also takes an interest in Duncan but it is not the "brother you need help" attitude. He gives him a job at the park's pools and water slides to help boost his self-esteem, a job which neither Trent nor his mother know anything about. Sam Rockwell's performance as Owen is pitch-perfect. Even though his communication with Duncan is mostly full of wisecracks, there is an underlying connection between the two that is not based on need alone. Pure and simple, they like each other and it shows, as does the remarkable chemistry displayed by the entire ensemble cast.

Duncan's transformation happens gradually, however. As he finds himself being accepted by the park's employees, his shoulders begin to straighten out, there is a hint of a smile on his face as well as a new look of confidence. Lian James, a Vancouver actor, not only disappears into the role of Duncan, he is Duncan and his struggle to reconnect with the world he has been estranged from is so honest and painful that we identify with him and want to help him, in Langston Hughes words, "to break his shadow into a thousand lights of sun." As in many great films, The Way Way Back has laughter and tears in equal measure.