Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Starring: Liam James, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carell, AnnaSophia Robb, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, Zoe Levin, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Running Time: 103 minutes.
Certificate: 12A.
Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are the writing team behind one of 2011’s best films, THE DESCENDANTS. If you enjoyed that film’s quiet humour and solid heart then there’s a good chance that THE WAY WAY BACK will appeal to you, even if it requires some patience before really kicking into gear.
Duncan is a quiet, introverted teenager who goes on a trip with his mum. Blinded by love for her new boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), who preaches family values but continues to put him down, and a bratty step-sister (Zoe Levin) who thinks he’s just plain weird, the first half an hour or so establishes this to the point where you kind of just want the film to get on with it. There are only so many scenes of Duncan sitting awkwardly away from the rest of his family before it starts to get slightly repetitive. Luckily, when Duncan meets Owen and the other weird employees at the local water park, the ball finally starts rolling and the film turns into a really sweet coming of age tale.
Sure, the template isn’t that original and basically plays like a more likeable, good-natured, and slightly younger version of Greg Mottola’s ADVENTURELAND, while screaming of Sundance dramedy. However, the acting and writing elevates the film beyond its clichés. Liam James is great as the heart of the story, managing to portray an understated awkwardness and pain, but with his character remaining shy for large parts of proceedings, it is the supporting cast of offbeat characters who help bring the spark to the film. Sam Rockwell is on great form (in an albeit not completely unfamiliar role) as a sarcastic motor mouth, Anna Sophia Robb brings the sweetness as Duncan’s crush, Susanna, while Allison Janney is a great mixture of funny and tragic as Susanna’s more or less alcoholic mother. Together they just work, as all the characters bring something new to the table whether it be straight comedy (Nat Faxon and Jim Rash themselves as water park employees) or, for a lack of a better word, villainy, with Steve Carell playing against type as a complete douchebag.
This tale of children and adults growing up doesn’t quite have the emotional punch of THE DESCENDANTS, but Faxon and Rash once again prove that they can write compelling, flawed characters as well as writing young characters that seem real, which is a rare quality. As far as a directorial debut goes, this is a great effort. Hopefully this will not be the last time we see the writing team in action.
[usr=4] The Way Way Back is out now on Digital HD and Blu-ray/DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
