THE WAY, WAY BACK - Review

The Way, Way Back

Comedy/Drama, 2013
1 hour, 43 minutes
Written and Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Rated PG-13

Starring
Sam Rockwell
Liam James
Steve Carell
Toni Colette
Allison Janney
AnnaSophia Robb
Maya Rudolph
Jim Rash
Nat Faxon

"Who is this in his awkward glory?"

Written and directed by the Oscar winning team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (the Dean from Community), The Way, Way Back had some pretty high expectations from me. I set the bar pretty high, and for the most part, I was happy with the results.
The movie is about an awkward teenager who gets dragged along to a summer home belonging to his mother's douchebag boyfriend played by Steve Carell. This kid, Duncan, is awkward as hell and it's actually pretty great. Anyway, he goes to the waterpark one day and meets the park's owner, played by the always fantastic Sam Rockwell. The two become fast friends, and then shit happens.
Although the script is pretty sharp, I was most impressed by the performances. Carell is a major douche. Like, Five-Star General Douche. Fucking hated his guts. That shit took skill. Sam Rockwell is, once again, in top form. I've seen not-so-great movies that star Sam Rockwell, but I've never seen him give a bad performance. He's excellent in everything, and this is no exception. Allison Janney practically steals the show as the bawdy neighbor who'll crack you up. But the real star here is Liam James, the awkward-as-hell 14 year old kid who's stuck in the middle of it all. He absolutely nails it in pretty much every way you can think of.
There isn't a ton that I disliked about the movie. It takes a while to get to the water park and sometimes it feels slow despite being a relatively short movie. Some of the events are predictable, but the ending is quite strong.
Overall, I enjoyed The Way, Way Back. It's funny and lovably awkward, and definitely deserves to be seen.

9.1/10