Directed by: Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Written by: Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Starring: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell
Rating: [3.5/5]
In childhood, summers represented a fertile ground to build moments of nostalgia to look back upon. A time when school was out, the sunlight stayed out at its longest, and if lucky enough could go on vacations as seen in The Way Way Back where you form friendships that may never reconnect but build something formative in the lives of young ones. This film captures this essence so well and fully propels its narrative into something wholly memorable.
Heading to Massachusetts for the summer with his mom Pam (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), Duncan (Liam James) does not look forward to this experience seeing as he has a large distaste for Trent. While at the vacation house, he befriends an employee of the local waterpark named Owen (Sam Rockwell) who takes the teenager under his wing for a summer he will not forget.
Duncan’s summer certainly echoes the experience of many where their divorced parent begins to date someone new, which already begins with an anger that the original marriage of his parents did not work. Now add to the fact the man seemingly replacing his father is someone he deeply dislikes and it only further exacerbates the feeling. Add this all to the general insecurity and angst that comes with teenage life and it produces the ingredient for a truly terrible time. The film certainly starts that way but changes completely when Duncan meets Owen and spends time at Water Wizz.
Upon getting to the water park and interacting with Owen, the humor on display will ultimately serve as the make-or-break moment if someone finds enjoyment in the film. The employees of Water Wizz that Duncan spends time with undoubtedly have this camaraderie between them where they represent a community that Duncan so clearly wants to have with kids in his own age group. However, the humor they display mirrors a type of juvenile humor whose mileage will vary on the person where certain jokes make you wonder if this film should have existed in the 1990s. We have instances of these employees ogling their customers, specifically, the women who wear bikinis. As immature as it may get in moments, the community building of it ultimately matters the most, and with these individuals, Duncan finds one and it’s quite sweet to watch. Duncan bonds with Owen as he and the rest of the employees serve as this reprieve from a home life he would like to avoid as much as possible.
As much as this film has fun with Duncan and the employees of Water Wizz, the film’s biggest highlight comes from creating this warm feeling and the building of memories. It takes us back to a formative time in the life of any teenager where they have fun, embarrass themselves, but also partake in things they will remember for as long as they can. The Way Way Back harnesses that feeling and puts it all together for the sake of Duncan. For all of the drama that comes with dealing with Trent, the moments he spends with Owen and the friends he makes here will ultimately be the moments when he looks back upon this summer later in life. Anyone watching can get that same feeling when viewing this film where these memories may not have come from spending a summer away in some Massachusetts town but rather riding bikes with friends or time spent at the beach. Whatever way this applies to any individual audience member, this film captures its essence with this experience so well that helps supersede a fairly simple plot.
Incredibly jovial and dramatic exactly where it needs to be, The Way Way Back builds such a fun cast of characters to tell this coming-of-age story. We have a cast filled with great actors each doing some fun work, which includes Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, and many more. They all serve as supporting characters for Duncan’s story each fulfills their purpose in ways we can expect from these veterans. This film ultimately aims to take us back to these summer vacations where nothing mattered but having fun and making meaningful memories and it did so very successfully.
Films with Josh 
