The Way, Way Back:
Duncan is a very antisocial and awkward 14-year-old who is dragged along by his mother Pam to stay with her boyfriend Trent and his bitchy teen daughter Steph at Trent's beach house that summer. Duncan does not fit in with Steph or Trent's friends. Pam also has a little trouble integrating into their group, but slowly is able to. Duncan runs into Owen, an eccentric, yet charming, owner of a local water park: Water Wizz. He begins to work odd jobs there over the summer, as well as connecting with a girl from next door named Susanna, who has a goofy alcoholic mother named Betty, who befriends Pam. Duncan fits in with the odd staff of the water park, and gets begins to feel more accepted, and get a sense that they are like family to him. This was a surprisingly good film. The cast do fantastic. Liam James (2012, Psych, The Killing) is great as Duncan. Early on, he's so awkward it's a bit annoying (and even a smidge pathetic), but as the film goes on, I sympathized with him more, and began to like him a lot as the film progressed. Steve Carrel plays Trent. I never thought Carrel could play a straight-up asshole, but he pulls it off really well. He serves as sort of the antagonist of the film. Toni Collette plays Pam, Duncan's loving mother, who is a bit blind to Trent's dickish behavior for most of the film. She's also kind of unsympathetic at first, but she becomes more and more human and likeable as the film progresses. Sam Rockwell plays Owen. He's a bit odd, but the film shows that he's actually a really nice, cool guy, who serves as a father figure, mentor, and friend to Duncan. He's fast-talking and funny, and often his brain goes at a faster pace than the other characters, leaving them confused, but somewhat fascinated by his antics, as is the audience. Allison Janney portrays Betty, who is also fast-talking and funny, but is looked at by everyone as that one, goofy, kind of stupid friend. She's very ditzy and is often drunk, but is liked by Pam and Trent's friend Kip. Maya Rudolph plays Caitlyn, Owen's co-worker who he hits on often. She doesn't hate Owen, but is annoyed by his childish and irresponsible behavior and hatred of rules and regulations. Anna Sophia Robb (Because of Winn-Dixie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bridge to Terebithia, Soul Surfer, The Carrie Diaries) plays Susanna, a serious and somewhat rebellious teenage girl who Duncan likes, who slowly develops a friendship with them. Rob Corddry (The Daily Show, Hot Tub Time Machine) and Amanda Peet play Trent's friends Kip and Joan, the former of which appears to like Betty a lot, the latter appears to be an alcoholic partier. Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (the directors and writers of this film, the former of which has a main role on Community) plays employees at Water Wizz, the former plays sarcastic and cynical Lewis, the latter plays the easy-going Roddy. The writers, Faxon and Rash, made the wise decision to show all the characters as either stupid, weird, or pathetic, but slowly peel back the layers to show more human and sympathetic characters underneath. The film is very funny, but also surprisingly emotional and touching. The movie also has a good soundtrack and score by Rob Simonsen. The Way, Way Back is a funny, witty, touching, and sweet coming-of-age dramady. One of the few summer movies this year that actually takes place during summer. Props to Faxon and Rash for crafting a fun but thoughtful and emotionally gratifying movie. 4.5/5 stars.
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