Way Way Worth Watching
By Chris Sabga
 |
Release
Date: July 16, 2013 –
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Running
Time: 103 minutes
Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Writers: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Cast: Liam James, Steve
Carell,
Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette,
Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb,
Maya
Rudolph, Rob Corddry,
Amanda Peet, River Alexander,
Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
|
Duncan (Liam James) is so awkward that it hurts to watch. He's a sad, shy
14-year-old boy completely uncomfortable in his own skin and stuck in that painful
period where he's no longer a little kid but nowhere close to being an
adult.
It doesn't help that his mother's boyfriend, Trent (Steve
Carell), is completely overbearing and insensitive. He's the kind of person who
gets hostile if the rules to a silly children's board game aren't followed exactly as the instructions specify. You
know the type!
At the beginning of "The Way Way Back," Trent asks Duncan
to rate himself on a scale from 1 to 10. The timid boy meekly says he's a 6;
the obnoxious Trent
cuts him even further down to size by calling him a 3. It's a gut-wrenching
putdown, and a heartbreaking moment – for the child and the audience.
During this conversation, Duncan
is sitting in "the way, way back" of Trent 's station wagon – with the luggage. His
position forces him to face away from everyone else in the car and stare at the
road instead.
His mother, Pam (Toni Collette), is clueless in love –
oblivious to the effect Trent
is having on her sensitive son.
They're spending the summer at Trent 's beach house. The boy is hopelessly
lost and alone, flopping around like a fish out of water. In one sad scene, he's
the lone child in a dinner table full of laughing adults. In another, he sits
pathetically by himself at the beach while everyone else splashes and frolics
around him. And then there's the slightly older girl next door, Susanna
(AnnaSophia Robb), who he is clearly intimidated by. (He mentions the weather
to her!)
It isn't until he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell), a water park
employee, that he begins to break out of his shell. But even in that detail,
"The Way Way Back" gets it right. The Duncan at the end of the movie isn't suddenly
smooth and cool; he's still a somewhat awkward kid – just a happier one.
The film is populated with great supporting characters:
There's Betty, the booze-soaked neighbor bronzed by the sun
(an almost unrecognizable Allison Janney). She forces her son, Peter (River
Alexander), to wear an eye-patch because he's cross-eyed and she thinks that
makes people uncomfortable. Unfortunately for him, his patch isn't black like a
pirate's; it's neon green with babyish cartoon characters.
Kip and Joan (Rob Corddry and Amada Peet) also live in the
area. They seem almost like "extras" at first, but one of them ends
up playing a pivotal role.
Caitlin (Maya Rudolph) works at the park. Owen is obviously
smitten with her, and she clearly feels a little something for him too because
she puts up with his endless teasing. Rudolph gives Caitlin the perfect mixture
of sweetness and sass.
Two of my favorites are Roddy and Lewis (played by the
writers and directors of the movie, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash). Roddy is slightly
perverted and has fun admiring the female swimmers; Lewis is bald and
bespectacled, with a bad Hulk Hogan mustache and an even worse case of OCD.
There's also Kyle (Robert Capron from the "Wimpy
Kid" movies) and his buddies as loud-mouthed but harmless water park
customers.
"The Way Way Back" has a big cast, but it really
belongs to Liam James, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Carell. The boy's relationship with each of them is what drives the story forward. Rockwell's character is
friendly, understanding, and a role model without ever being a dull goody-goody. Carell
excels at portraying an insufferable blowhard who has no idea how to relate to
a raw, stiff, teenage bundle of nerves. Both characters are rough around the
edges, but that manifests itself in very different ways.
Rockwell and Carell don't share a scene until the end, and
when they finally do meet, it's subtly handled but satisfying. They both play
somewhat "against type" and succeed brilliantly, but it is James who
anchors the movie with his realistic depiction of a young teenager who
initially feels left out and unable to fit in anywhere.
The "3 out of 10" scene at the start of the film is
actually based on a real-life conversation between a young Jim Rash and his
stepfather. That must be why it resonates so powerfully. The pen truly is
mightier than the sword!
The ending, which I won't spoil, mirrors the beginning. There
are no conclusive answers given, but there is a subtle character shift (literally)
that lets the audience know that things have changed.
"The Way Way Back" is wonderful. I expect it to be
in "the way way front" of my top ten list at the end of the year.
