In a summer filled with movies about comic book heroes, giant robots, and presidential sabotage, it’s nice to see a film that isn’t of international importance. Now the coming-of-age movie is nothing new to the film industry, but The Way Way Back is a refreshing tale on an overused plot.
The movie begins with awkward adolescent Duncan (Liam James) and his mom’s boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). The two characters along with Trent’s daughter and Duncan’s mother (Toni Collette), are all heading off to Trent’s beach house for the summer.
During the car ride, Trent asks Duncan to rate himself on a scale from 1 to 10 to which Trent tells Duncan that he’s only a three. The usually lovable Steve Carell plays the hated boyfriend role to perfection, as Liam James gives the best awkward kid performance I have ever seen.
To get away from the family, Duncan decides to go on a bike ride and stumbles upon a water park owned by the comedic, one-line producing machine, Owen (Sam Rockwell). Rockwell is fantastic as the kid-friendly jokester and, right when you feel his antics are getting old, Rockwell delivers on a genuinely heartfelt moment.
The rest of the movie centers on Duncan’s experiences while working at the water park and learning to come out of his shell. In the meantime, our dislike for Trent increases and Duncan makes a lady friend via the blond girl next door.
The movie delivers on more laughs than expected and the cast never overplays it.
The film doesn’t end perfectly, but situations in life don’t often end perfectly, making the ending perfect in and of itself. In the end, the audience remembers how meeting one person can make all the difference in becoming the person you want to be.