The Way Way Back

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source: The Way Way Back

At this point, I will pretty much see anything with Steve Carell or Sam Rockwell and since they were both in this one, it's like I won the lottery...granted, lottery in the form of a really entertaining movie and not in the way that anyone actually wants to win the lottery. Coming-of-age stories and films about awkward teens/adults/people coming out of their shells once they meet the right person to show them they have worth isn't anything new or original. However, writer/directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash presented a film that was both simultaneously familiar and new. The movie was capable of making you laugh your backside off but then, the next moment, made you feel towards the characters and their journeys. To put it simply, Faxon and Rash made a very human film with real emotion behind it. This emotional element was only supported and enhanced by the terrific cast the film had. Liam James is great as Duncan, the awkward teen. Steve Carell really showed another side of his talent by playing the really awful boyfriend of Duncan's mother. Toni Collette is once again incredible as she portrays Duncan's mom but the real show stealer for me was Sam Rockwell as Owen; the man who is, for the most part, a complete slacker working at the local water park but also becomes Duncan's best friend and the person who teaches him that he has self worth and is greater than he realizes. Rockwell's performance makes the film go even further as his friendship with Duncan makes it a semi-buddy comedy as well as a comedy of age comedy/drama. The movie is one of those bittersweet comedies/dramas that can make you feel a whole range of emotions as the running length progresses. On the surface it could look like a dozen movies that can out over the years before it but the final product is so much more and has so much more heart than I had originally anticipated. Hi! My name is Rev. Ron and I love movies! So much so that I write a blog where I review whatever film I am watching at the time. You can read a more in-depth review of this film (and many others) at revronmovies.blogspot.com

"No patterns on my quarter, cut your own path." Duncan is a shy teenager who is stuck in a summer with his mom and her new boyfriend Trent (Carell). Duncan has no self esteem and when he leaves one day he ends up at a water park where he meets Owen (Rockwell) and finds himself. This is a very very funny and touching movie that all teens with low esteem should watch. This is a very different part for Carell and he does do a great job in this. As likable as Carell is you really hate him in this movie. This is also another movie that continues the trend of the lower budget movies being much much better then the big tent-pole movies that are being released. This is kind of hard to review since the movie is really nothing more then a kid gaining confidence over a summer but it feels like so much more then that. The kid that plays Duncan is great and Sam Rockwell is perfect in this. A great movie with great actors and a great message. A real must see. I highly recommend this. Overall, one of the best movies of the year. I give it an A.

This movie is the perfect balancing act between comedy and drama. Both work extremely well in the audience connecting to all of these flawed characters. Having a movie set around a waterpark and during the summer allows audiences to connect on some sort of level. Great movie. I loved the whole cast. This movie was not clichéd when it could have been which allowed me to not get distracted in the movie like a clichéd action as seen in 20 other movies would have done. Pay attention to Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who are so far 2 for 2 in making movies (The Descendants(writers)). Oscar: Sam Rockwell. Every line of dialogue was amazing. Has anyone noticed that he dances in a majority of his movies. I feel like that is an amazing trademark to have. The Related Rank: 1. The Way, Way Back 2. Perks of Being a Wallflower 3. Dazed and Confused 4. Stand by Me 5. Adventureland

It is rare that I will watch a bad movie from beginning to end if i'm in my home (if i'm in the theater I figured I paid my money and should see it through). I watched the first few minutes and thought it was extremely boring and unfunny, uninteresting but gave it a chance to get batter even though I knew it wouldn't. I have a 5 minute rule for movies; if they don't draw you in in the first 5 minutes (which one would think the creators of the story would pay closest attention to) what are the odds the rest of the film will get better? This rule has pretty much held true for every good/bad film I've ever seen. IMHO rarely does a film start out bad and then get good. First; I'm stumped as to why they used songs from the 80's (REO speedwagon...) to create a sort of theme of this time period? If they wanted to make this film in a different time period then they should have done that. It seems like they wanted it to have that feel but have it take place in present day. I also sensed that the man the boy befriended (forget his name) was supposed to be a sort of Bill Murray/Meatballs type; slacker, but heart of gold with lots of wisdom to teach a nerdy kid who doesn't fit in. Meatballs was far more effective and an infinitely better movie. I also hated the Steve Carrell character. I suppose that was intended. He plays a very convincing ahole which makes me wonder if he really is. I felt extremely uncomfortable watching him be so cruel towards his girlfriends son; calling him a "3" and then calling him "buddy" as he ordered him around like a slave and demoralized him. I'm not suggesting this doesn't happen in the real world, but I could not understand why the boys mom did nothing about it. It made no sense. She was smart, educated, had a career...so how could she be so clueless about her own son and allow him to be treated with such blatant disrespect? The story was predictable and you knew that his new friendship with the Bill Murray dude and the others at the water park was going to enable him for the first time in his life to feel like he was part of something and give him a sense of pride and then in the very end his mom would finally SEE him and be proud and finally be on his side. I liked the idea of this story. i just didn't like the story. It wasn't funny, touching or interesting.

At one point when the main character, or in this case semi-main character, Duncan, a reclusive fourteen-year old boy who, with his mother, her jerky boyfriend and his melancholy daughter, go to a small beachside town for a summer vacation… Duncan and another underdog friend are about to climb a fence to break into a work party when one of the employees, two feet away, opens the gate door and tells the kids there's a much easier way inside. That's THE WAY WAY BACK in a nutshell – instead of anything interesting, intriguing or involving actually happening, stuff simply… happens. For a so-called "Coming of Age" tale, way too much time centers on Duncan's mother and her boyfriend. Toni Collette and Steve Carell are going through the motions. Along with another boring couple, all they really do is sit around laughing, talking and drinking while Duncan sulks alone in his room, but not for long Soon the gloomy kid ventures out on his bike and finds a retro Water Park, built in the eighties and made to stay that way. This is where the movie is supposed to shine, and with Sam Rockwell's laidback and always-jokey Owen, who manages the park, Duncan has a real friend and any turmoil or discomfort is thrown right out the door. While Rockwell's is engaging enough, if you've seen Bill Murray in Meatballs the performance, a cross between a game show host and your favorite uncle, seems as retro as the Tough Skin jeans, REO Speedwagon or other nostalgic bits of pop culture references thrown in to make the present time more reflective in nature. A sulky, one-dimensional Liam James, as Duncan, makes for a dull protagonist. With a cool summer job, an even cooler mentor and a hot blonde living next door, it's difficult (if impossible) feeling sorry for a kid with so many options.

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.

God awful film. Even my girlfriend, who really, really wanted to watch this film had to turn it off before the end as she got bored. Totally two-dimensional and clichéd characters: the miserable teenage son that we are supposed to feel sorry for; the 'hot' girl next door who develops a crush on said geeky teen; the nasty, cheating step father (who I assume get his comeuppance at the end); the weak mother (whom I presume grows some balls at the end, as clichés would have it); the mean friend of the girl next door (who I assume gets her comeuppance at the end), the 'crazy' manager of a water park who becomes friends with the geeky teen and makes him cool. Yawn, yawn, yawn is there any originality in this film at all? NO! When I read the IMDb synopsis before watching this film I could see in my mind exactly how the whole thing would play out. I still got forced to watch it by my girlfriend and lo and behold it was exactly as I imagined it would be. God, the characters are so dull and unoriginal. I gave up about half way through and decided to read a book. My girlfriend lasted a bit longer but even she got bored and turned it off. Dull, dull, dull. Clichéd. Unoriginal. Badly written characters. Stupid storyline.

Greetings again from the darkness. OK, before you accuse me of being the world's worst speller, you should know that my title "Water Wizzdom" is a play on words ... the waterpark in the film is known as Water Wizz and Sam Rockwell plays Owen, the man-child mentor to Liam James' Duncan. Duncan is a miserable 14 year old stuck in a beach house with his mom, her obnoxious boyfriend, and his snobby daughter. Steve Carell plays Trent, the condescending and bullying boyfriend who has no redeeming qualities that we can see (other than the beach house and a nice tan). Duncan's mom is played by Toni Collette, and her character Pam is a divorced, insecure single mom trying to balance her own happiness with that of her teen-angst-filled son. Pam and Duncan are the outsiders in this beach community as we quickly learn when next door neighbor Betty (Allison Janney) shows up with drink in hand and gossip for all. The well worn movie signs are all here ... we recognize the characters and their struggles, in fact, we all know someone like each of the people that co-writers and co-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash present to us. We understand quickly that this is yet another coming-of-age tale with mostly clueless adults. Despite that, this one still mostly works. The writing and acting are such high quality that even though we are living in movie cliché-land, we still find ourselves caring about Duncan and Pam, laughing at Owen, and tossing tomatoes at Trent (Carell). Special recognition to Sam Rockwell. Even though Duncan is the key character, it's Rockwell's Owen who recognizes that a little faith and encouragement goes a long way. Behind the facade of rapid-fire banter and laugh-inducing one-liners, Owen is coming to grips with a life of reality and shattered dreams. While never stooping to the typical Hollywood "win one for the Gipper" speech, Owen manages to instill a bit of confidence in Duncan ... to the point where he refuses to let his mother pretend everything is OK with Trent. AnnaSophia Robb plays the cute girl-next-door who recognizes potential in Duncan, but the filmmakers never allow this to turn into some ridiculous fairy tale. Instead we get characters who are each flawed, but real and recognizable. While all the typical pieces are present, there is enough crackle to the dialogue and quality acting to help this one rise above the usual muck. It's a nice "little" alternative to the giant summer blockbusters. Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won an Oscar for co-writing The Descendants with Alexander Payne. In their directorial debut, they prove that they also have skills as filmmakers. The next one could be even better!