{"id":2742,"date":"2013-08-30T14:22:56","date_gmt":"2013-08-30T14:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=2742"},"modified":"2013-08-30T14:22:56","modified_gmt":"2013-08-30T14:22:56","slug":"the-way-way-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/the-way-way-back\/","title":{"rendered":"The Way Way Back ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Perhaps it\u2019s because summer is still with us that the nostalgic carefree days of yesteryear are still very much in flavour at the box office with another coming-of-age film set in the sunshine, after The Kings of Summer<\/em> release last week. Writing duo Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have co-penned another poignantly funny feel-good story set among familiar strife, after the Oscar-winning The Descendants<\/em> in 2011. This time they successfully have a go at directing too, beautifully balancing comedy with melancholy with some wonderfully colourful but very real characters in The Way Way Back<\/em> that\u2019s like \u2018Summer Break for adults\u2019, only with a kid forming the linchpin of sanity.<\/p>\n

Shy 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) goes on summer vacation in New England with his mother Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and his surly older daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a tough time fitting in and dealing with some ugly secrets, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park while dealing with his growing feelings for next-door neighbour Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another character-building road trip of highs and lows that reunites Little Miss Sunshine stars Carell and Collette, again playing problematic parents. Carell expertly portrays another against-type character, one if the most hateful to date in Trent who tries to control the situation in the most sociopathic and non-empathetic way. Collette is a mother trying to retain her own identity. The story centres on Duncan but uses the actions of the adults \u2013 who turn into irresponsible \u2018teens\u2019 themselves as soon as they see a bit of sun and sand, such as tragic lush Betty (Allison Janney at her finest) \u2013 to allow the youngster to begin developing into a rounded young man before our very eyes. With escapism comes a price, it seems, and it\u2019s a lesson in responsibility.<\/p>\n

Ironically, one of the most childish but refreshingly liberating kidults is Owen (delightfully played by Rockwell) who turns out to be the most responsible in the end \u2013 something this \u2018big kid\u2019 would baulk at hearing. The reason for this surprise maturity might be because both Duncan and Owen seek the same thing \u2013\u00a0stability \u2013\u00a0in order to help them progress individually to the next level; for Owen, this is being the kind of man his embattled deputy and on-off lover Caitlin (Maya Rudolph) needs to be happy.<\/p>\n

All this world-changing drama is set in one of the most fun-filled vacation places in the world, a tired-looking water park to create a cradle of comfort to allow the nurturing of these rites of passages to manifest. Meanwhile, you can\u2019t help but envy Owen and team (including eternal dude Roddy \u2013 Faxon himself) who seem to have the perfect life-work balance that\u2019s missing from the other kidults\u2019 existence, hence their impending foolishness.<\/p>\n

Faxon and Rash\u2019s story may be cut form the same cloth as others of the same ilk over the years, but this pair has a knack of molding genuine characters that you really care about watching and following their progress while laughing, cringing and sighing at them along the way. Grab this slice of volatile vacation heaven before the sun sets, complete with a great cast to boot: It\u2019s a guaranteed sigh of cinematic contentment.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

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