You're standing at the marquee. You're unsure of what to see. Someone has told you that you can only see one movie this entire summer and you're not sure what to pick. You could go with something big-budget and action. You could go with something you thought might be funny starring Sandra Bullock. You could go with the horror movie that looks so scary. No. You go see The Way Way Back. It is without a doubt the best movie of the year thus far. If you like any of what you saw in the trailer, it only gets better. Nat Faxon (one of the German dudes from Beerfest) and Jim Rash (the Dean from Community) follow up their Oscar wins (for The Descendants) with one of the best, most charming, undoubtedly funny, coming of age stories I've seen in a long while.
Duncan is a 14-year-old, awkward and painfully shy kid on his way to his mom's boyfriend's beach house. His mom's boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell) is a huge dick. But he's a subtle dick. A very passive-aggressive dick who treats Duncan, and frankly, everyone else as though they were below him. His mother (Toni Collette) is endearing, but has to sort of separate who she is with Duncan in order to fit the lifestyle of Trent. At the beach house Duncan is ignored, mocked and left to himself while everyone else is able to have a good time. In the midst of being the outcast, and viewed as the weird kid who awkwardly spews random thoughts at inappropriate times to the cute girl next door, he discovers Water Wizz, a local water park run by Owen (Sam Rockwell) and populated by workers Caitlin (Maya Rudolph), Roddy and Lewis (Faxon and Rash). Owen takes Duncan under his wing, gives him a job and essentially teaches him about life outside his family and, more importantly, his shell.
Everything about this movie is on point. The writing is fantastic, especially with Carell's character. He is able to say the most screwed up things to Duncan, but in such a backhanded way that only the person receiving the verbal abuse would truly understand how unbelievably mean it really is. It's strange seeing sweetheart Steve Carell let loose from his typecast goofball, to being an unlikable douchebag. And he plays it well. But, it's Sam Rockwell that steals the show. He talks a mile a minute, every line that comes out of his mouth is one that is searching for a laugh, not just from us viewers, but from the characters around him too. He's that comedian that doesn't know how to turn it off, but instead of it coming off annoying, it's endearing. So, when it's time for him to get serious, we believe it. I have to believe that there was just an outline of the dialogue Rockwell was to use in the script as a guide, and that directors Faxon and Rash just let him loose as soon as they turned on the camera because what comes out is comedy gold.
Sometimes coming of age movies are hard to get behind if we don't really like or connect with the kid. Here Liam James as Duncan does the perfect job of showing that he isn't a bad kid, or even a particularly weird one, he's just awkward because he's been put off by so many people in his life. He's literally the saddest kid in the world and all we want is for something good to happen to him. There is a gradual and organic change to Duncan, as well. It doesn't happen over night and the lessons the water park teaches him are ones he can carry with him throughout his life, not just applicable for that summer.
Along with Rockwell, the film is populated with fun and colorful characters. Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and especially Allison Janney as the kooky, but kind-hearted neighbor fill this movie with such fun and joy for its audience. Once it gets going, it's one of those films that you never want to end. You want to watch Duncan go back to the water park every single day of summer just to see what will happen or what craziness ensues, or what outrageous thing Owen is going to say or do next. It's such a wonderful movie that I will be recommending to everyone. It's one of those movies that I will eventually be able to tell people is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's one of those movies I'll want to introduce to new people each time I meet someone. It's one of those movies I'll watch every couple of months just to remind myself that great filmmaking isn't dead. The movie is damn near perfect, and though it may seem as though the coming of age story is a little tired and predictable, The Way Way Back is anything but. If you are only allowed to see one movie this summer, your choice has been made for you.
A
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