The Way, Way Back

Indie movies and the summer don’t always go together. Especially win the movie is the latest effort from Oscar winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who won acclaim with 2011’s The Descendants. But The Way, Way Back is a summer movie in theme so here it is. Liam James plays Duncan, a quiet kid, who has all but given up on his summer when he’s dragged to his mom’s boyfriend’s beach house. With his mom (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend (Steve Carell) focused on making the best of their time there and ignoring Duncan, he comes across a water park and a new friend (Sam Rockwell) he didn’t expect.

One of the big talking points surrounding the movie is about the loveable Carell playing a not so nice guy. He does well in making sure the character stays authentic and isn’t a caricature of reality. In fact, the entire movie does this. The conversations Duncan has are so painfully real, the audience can’t help but relate. He isn’t some muscle-bound actor that the directors throw some glasses on to convey awkwardness. Everything from Duncan’s slight hunch, to his awkward timing in conversations is spot on. I’ve seen my fair share of movies and I can’t recall another with dialogue this real.

The story doesn’t break new ground with theme or topic. The social outcast is befriended by the cute girl next door (AnnaSophia Robb) and finds solace among a group of misfits. These misfits happen to be the workers at an outdated waterpark, which plays out as the backdrop to the funniest and most meaningful moments in the film. Rockwell gives another great performance with a layered character that could very easily have fallen flat. It’s rare a movie that comes out in the summer competes for the big nominations in award season, but The Way, Way Back should probably break that trend.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.