But it's Rockwell's Owen-an overgrown boy in a movie full of regressing adults-who contributes most to the film's air of compassionate whimsy. And if his quasi-love interest, played by AnnaSophia Robb, falls into the too-good-to-be-true category (kind, smart, beautiful), well, that's more or less par for the course. As Duncan, young Liam James may occasionally lean a bit heavily on the awkward-teen schtick, but his vulnerability is acute. The cast is uniformly excellent, in particular Carell (neatly cast against type), Janney (deep in her comfort zone), and Maya Rudolph as Owen's charmingly beleaguered significant other. An unexpected yet irresistible cross between Meatballs and The Ice Storm, The Way Way Back just may be the best movie of the summer. Written and directed by actors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash-who won an Oscar in 2011 for their adapted screenplay of The Descendants-the film is sharp, and tender, and extremely funny, with the kind of accessible-indie vibe that characterized such seasonal sleepers as Little Miss Sunshine and 500 Days of Summer. Yes, it is true that in its broad contours The Way Way Back could be mistaken for a tedious, coming-of-age message movie full of canned sentiment and idle uplift. Over the course of the summer, Duncan begins to gain a bit of wisdom and self-confidence, learning valuable lessons about. Pam is introduced to Trent's various summer-season friends (expertly played by Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, and Rob Corddry) and these putative grownups quickly get to work drinking-Bloody Marys for breakfast, wine at lunch, margaritas with dinner, and beer more or less constantly-experimenting with a little reefer, and generally behaving like adolescents freed from parental supervision.ĭuncan, meanwhile-an actual adolescent freed from parental supervision-gets himself a job.įleeing the middle-aged debauch unfolding all around him, Duncan discovers a frozen-in-time 1980s water park, whose offbeat manager, Owen (Sam Rockwell) takes a shine to the shy boy. As a friend will later explain to Duncan, this environment is like "spring break for adults," a vacation from everyday life and its attendant disappointments. Nor does the situation improve once the proto-family is ensconced at Trent's shingled cottage-the "Riptide"-on the New England shore. Duncan, for his part, doesn't get a say in the matter. He is, in short, just the kind of romantic pursuer that a recently divorced single mother like Pam might persuade herself was preferable to the possibility of not being pursued at all. As played by Carell, Trent is not an inherently cruel man, but he is a consummate dick: self-righteous and self-centered, in a state of constant overcompensation for his own insecurity. Yes, Duncan, welcome to the rest of your summer-and, perhaps, your life.
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