The Way Way Back Poster

The Way Way Back (2013)

Comedy  
Rayting:   7.4/10 141K votes
Country: USA
Language: English
Release date: 10 July 2014

Shy 14 year old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.

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User Reviews

ferguson-6 7 July 2013

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!

meeza 24 July 2013

Fmovies: I have to go way way back in thinking of a coming-of-age summer comedic movie that made me feel so good, and in doing that the classic "Meatballs" comes to mind. The dynamic duo team of Nat Faxon & Jim Rash have swimmingly perfected a film that homages "Meatballs" and puts a new spin to it, without duplicating it; and that would be in their craft filmmaking of "The Way Way Back". The film stars teen actor Liam James as 14 year-old Duncan who is an isolated teen who despises the idea of taking a summer vacation with his timid mother Pam, her arrogant boyfriend Trent, and Trent's narcissistic daughter Steph. Their vacation spot is at Trent's beach house where nearby has a water park; I will slide into that one a little later in my review. Trent does have a few eccentric neighbors in his beach house which include the lush-filled gabby Betty, a divorcée with three kids; and also the vociferous couple Kip & Joan. Duncan is constantly ridiculed and excluded by Trent and Stephanie which puts him in the perpetual state of "I want to get the f*ck of out of here". However, in a twist of fate, Duncan befriends the vivacious water park employee Owen, perfectly played by Sam Rockwell. Consequently, Duncan starts to regularly visit the water park to hang with Owen and the other water park wacky employees. And before you know it, Duncan plummets himself to a part-time working gig at the park; unknowing to his mom and Trent. Duncan takes flight at the water park and you see the "coming-of-age" turn at every moment in his time there. Owen's character is very reminiscent of the Tripper character (played to the tee by Bill Murray) in "Meatballs". But Rockwell plays the part so superbly that it does not appear to be a Tripper duplication but instead a modern transformation within its Tripper homage; tripped out yet? Duncan also befriends Betty's teen daughter Susanna, who empathizes with Duncan's situation in dealing with a callous potential stepdaddy. Faxon & Rash's masterful direction & screenplay of "The Way Way Back" was not dead on the water; in fact- the vitality, humor, and tenderness they brought to the movie's direction & screenplay should hopefully land them in the wave of Oscar contenders for Best Director & Best Original Screenplay. As far as the thespian pool of the picture, I must state that it was a perfect ensemble. James showed potentiality that he will be on his way back to other leading roles with his fine work as Duncan. Steve Carell's performance as Trent showed the depth to his acting by playing a part non-typical to the Carell filmography; Trent was sure one heartless bastard, and Carell disappeared into the role. Toni Collette was spic & spam in her role as Duncan's mom Pam. Faxon & Rash themselves were a hoot playing two water park employees, Roddy and Lewis. Other supporting turns that were no lazy river works were of Anna Sophia Robb as Susanna, Rob Corddry & Amanda Peet who we had fun with as Kip & Joan, and Maya Rudolph as water park manager Caitlin; and I would be remiss if I did not mention the standout, scene-stealing performance from Allison Janney as the wickedly-hilarious Betty. Be it as it may, it was still Rockwell that stole the show here. His work in "The Way Way Back" should slide him into a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. "The Way Way Back" is a gem of a movie, and I hope it does not land "way way back" in your "movies to see&q

TheSquiss 29 August 2013

The Way Way Back is marketed as a thoughtful, funny teen flick but, though it is thoughtful, funny and co-stars a couple of teens, the younger audience members shuffled and whispered as if bored, while the belly laughs and satisfied smiles came almost entirely from the 'more mature' audience members. It's not that this is an adult film but so many references require a certain level of life experience or simply that the audience was 'there' at a particular time. Like the blank-faced children queuing for the water chute during the superb Holding out For a Hero scene, it makes little sense for those who never sang along to Bonnie Tyler but tickles the funny bones of almost everyone over the age of 35.

The Way Way Back is a gentle coming of age comedy about the world Duncan (Liam James) has been thrust into. His divorced mum, Pam (Toni Collette), has shacked up with Trent (Steve Carell), forcing Duncan to deal with the absence of his father, the domineering, judgmental disdain of Trent and the withering stares of Trent's bitchy daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Dragged off to Trent's summer vacation home, Duncan endures humiliation and misery until he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell), the manger of the Water Wizz water park, who approaches life in his own manner and sees in Duncan what he cannot find in himself. And then there's the girl next door, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), and her mum, Betty (Allison Janney)Â…

It takes a while for The Way Way Back to really kick in. I knew I wanted to enjoy it, and nothing really prevented that from happening, but it felt half a beat off the pace. Then, about twenty minutes in, something sparked and the investment for the first quarter became worthwhile. Just as Duncan evolves into someone a little less awkward, a little more confident than the alien he feels himself to be in his world, so The Way Way Back develops into a heartwarming tale of angst, the reality of life and second chances. And it steps beyond 'quietly amusing' into 'very funny'.

The principal reasons The Way Way Back works are Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the partnership that won an Oscar for writing The Descendants and have earned themselves loyal fan bases individually as actors, Rash particularly as Dean Pelton in Community. While The Way Way Back doesn't quite have the edge of The Descendants, it is still a tender, thoughtful visitor that carries a hidden knife to jab into your ribs when required. For anyone who couldn't wait to leave home and adolescence far behind and found exciting possibilities in their summer jobs, this is a film with enough references to make you smile and belly laugh in solidarity and complete understanding.

At the centre of The Way Way Back is James' Duncan. It's not a star-making performance that tugs at us like, say, Paul Dano's Dwayne in the supreme Little Miss Sunshine (which also starred Carell and Collette) but his character development is steady rather than breathtaking and we buy into him. He's odd but we like him because of that. This is no 'ugly duckling turning beautiful' hogwash but a considered performance from an actor who has inhabited his on-screen persona completely.

Collette is on fairly safe territory here as the mixed-up mum who is holding it together and hoping for the best but papering over the cracks with tissue. As her boyfriend, however, Carell is on superb form. There are many expletives and mild obscenities one could use to describe Trent but Carell avoids the pitfalls of mak

agmoldham 29 September 2013

The Way Way Back fmovies. Having seen a run of fairly forgettable blockbusters it was nice to go along and watch a low budget movie.

The way way back is a coming of age movie and follows shy Duncan on his summer vacation with mother and step dad. I'm sure the relationship between Duncan and parents will be familiar to many people. The good thing about this type of movie is that it focuses more on characters and you get a real sense, feel and empathy for several characters. The cast is strong and in addition to the lead played by Liam James you have the likes of Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Sam Rockwell.

The movie does occasionally get a little too "feel good", but that's a small drawback in what is otherwise a very enjoyable watch. Well worth a watch if you like off beat indie dramas.

CalRhys 2 April 2016

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.

howard.schumann 4 August 2013

"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

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