Written for the Examiner
The Oscar-winning team Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (“The Descendants”) did it again. “The Way, Way Back” is a moving and comedic coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Duncan (Liam James), is a shy and awkward 14-year-old who is being made to endure a summer vacation with his mother Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing and tactless boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent’s daughter Steph (Zoe Levin).
Duncan’s summer morphs into a life-changer when he stumbles upon the Water Wizz water park and a manager named Owen (Sam Rockwell). Through Owen, Duncan learns how to loosen up and enjoy life. He finally has a place to fit in and is able to make friends.
The humor and heartbreakingly poignant moments are similar to those in another film Toni Collette starred in: “Little Miss Sunshine.”
“The Way, Way Back” opened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and has garnered rave reviews ever since. The amazing cast includes Allison Janney as the kooky, sloshed neighbor Betty. Amanda Peet as Trent’s sexy friend Joan, Maya Rudolph as Caitlin, Owen’s coworker, and newcomerAnnaSophia Robb plays the nice girl next door.
The film opens with Duncan sitting in the way back of Trent’s station wagon. Trent asks Duncan how he’d rate himself on a scale of one to ten. Duncan picks the safe, slightly above average, six. Trent says, “No, you’re a three.”
Examiner Dorri Olds had the chance to sit down with writer and director Nat Faxon.
Dorri Olds: How would you describe the men in Duncan’s life?
Nat Faxon: You have two men. Trent’s idea is to cast Duncan out and tell him, “Don’t be a three. Get out there and make something of yourself.” Owen is kind of saying the same thing but he’s doing it in a nurturing way. Owen tells Duncan, “You’re a part of the team,” and gives him a water park staff shirt.
What more can you say about Owen?
Owen is at his best for three months out of the year, while this water park is open. It’s the water park that becomes Duncan’s Oz. It lets all types of people celebrate who they are. It’s full of play and gives everyone this wonderful experience of celebration.
Can you pinpoint how you communicated Duncan’s profound emptiness?
In a cinematic way we tried to show what Duncan was feeling. By shooting at certain angles in their beach rental house we made the ceiling look closer. That was to portray Duncan’s feeling of claustrophobia. Then, in the water park, we wanted everything to look wide open. We made it colorful and bright and open. It’s his Oz, a place with possibilities.
Is this film reminiscent of your summers as a kid?
I spent my summers on Nantucket Island and have so many fond memories. I had a lot of horrible summer jobs there. [Laughs] But there were so many things about it that made it special. I think Jim [Rash] and I tried in this movie to give people a sense of going to a place year after and year that stays the same. There’s so much that happens during the year away, but when you come back to this place, nothing has changed and there’s something very comforting about that.
“The Way, Way Back” opens Friday, July 5, 2013. Comedy drama. Rated PG. 103 minutes.
Suggested by the author:
- “The Way, Way Back” is a comedy drama by Oscar winners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon
- ‘The Way, Way Back’ is a summer movie about a teen played by newcomer Liam James
- Fun July movies include ‘The Lone Ranger,’ ‘The Way, Way Back’ and ‘Pacific Rim’
- Fun August movies include ‘Europa Report,’ ‘Lovelace,’ ‘Elysium’ and ‘Paranoia’
- Coming soon: summer movie ‘Lovelace’ starring Amanda Seyfried & Peter Skarsgaard