Post by StevePulaski on Jul 19, 2013 22:36:38 GMT -5
The Way, Way Back (2013)
Directed by: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Directed by: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell headline The Way, Way Back.
Rating: ★★★★
The Way, Way Back is the summer movie event I've been waiting for, and it isn't likely to gross anything close to what the summer movie you've been waiting for will gross. During the summer season - in the midst of movies about fast cars, battling robots, star-studded folderol, immediate blockbusters, unexpected flops, tiresome sequels, tiresome prequels, predictable remakes, and the onslaught of superhero films - I try and seek out independent films that have the poor fortune of opening the same weekend as other, bigger films do that play in ten times the amount of theaters as well.
The Way, Way Back has the unfortunate luck of opening on the same weekend as four other films that will likely take the four of the five spots at the box office this weekend, which are Red 2, R.I.P.D, Turbo, and The Conjuring. How sad that is seeing as if The Way, Way Back has even half the marketing budget as one of those films it could probably snag a spot in there with those films. I can see a current teenage lost soul, scrolling the internet or the newspaper for a movie to watch and sighing at how there is nothing of interest to him. The thought he may or may not see an advertisement or a blurb for this film breaks my heart.
The story revolves around fourteen year old Duncan (Liam James), whose sulky expression will likely break your heart too. He is an anti-social, friendless teenager who is vacationing at his mother's boyfriend's summer home for a few weeks. His mother Pam (Toni Collette) is well-meaning, but kind of blind in terms of taking hints, Trent (Steve Carell), his mom's boyfriend, is a condescending bastard, and his daughter Steph (Zoe Levin) wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone.
The film opens with the family driving to the summer home. While both Pam and Steph sleep, Duncan, who has been cruelly ostracized to the trunk of the station wagon, is belittled by Trent who asks him to rank himself on a scale of one to ten. "Six," a hasty, reluctant Duncan states. "Six? Are you serious? I'd say you're more like a three!," Trent replies. "Who says that to a kid?," Duncan later asks. For an opening scene, it is absolutely soul-crushing.
Duncan tries to connect to the area, but finds such a thing hard to do when everyone would rather be off somewhere else rather than where he is at. His next door neighbor Suzanna (the lovely and now thankfully diverse AnnaSophia Robb) finds that the two can connect on a personal level, but keep things collectively unromantic for the most part. Duncan later makes a strong connection with Owen (the scene-stealing Sam Rockwell), a quick-witted employee at a local waterpark. Duncan winds up getting employed there and bonding with the eccentric locals such as work-minded Caitlyn (Maya Rudolph) and the suit-rental clerk Lewis (co-director Jim Rash), while attempting to tolerate the crew back at home, made up of the tell-it-like-it-is Betty (Allison Janney) and the smiley neighbor Joan (Amanda Peet).
A few years ago there was a film called Adventureland, about a group of twentysomethings who worked at a cheap theme park, while trying to bond and make the most out of a current situation. The film unfortunately advertised "from the producers of Superbad" on posters and commercials, making audiences think they were in for a ribald comedy rather than a meditation on post-college boredom and uncertainty. The Way, Way Back feels like the Adventureland on a scale aimed more at the teenage, high school demographic, which is viable material in itself.
What writing/directing team Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (who penned the Oscar-nominated script for The Descendants) do to make the film not just viable but extraordinary is give every character their own identity and their own time to shine. Faxon and Rash concoct a believable landscape, not too quirky and not too shallow, that allows for each actor to utilize their material effectively. Consider Liam James, who will undoubtedly get critiqued a bit too harshly for maintaining the sulky persona for a bit too long in the film. What Faxon and Rash try to illustrate here is the anxiety and confused array of emotions teenagers house inside them, especially at this age. The character becomes developed as time goes on, and his slowburn development is likely quicker than many teenagers' over the course of years. James plays this tricky character remarkably well.
It only helps he is assisted by a cast of charmers who will likely not be completely known by a mainstream audience. Sam Rockwell makes every scene he is in a quiet, but lovable triumph, Maya Rudolph and Jim Rash do excellent work as his coworkers, Toni Collette is unsurprisingly great in the conflicted mother-role, Allison Janney's perkiness makes her a good candidate for comedies in the future, and additional supporting characters such as Amanda Peet and Rob Corddry all get their effective time to shine. And it would be criminal not to mention how well Steve Carell handles the narcissistic, assertive persona here. His change of pace from the always likable guy, to the is-he-really-mean-or-are-we-too-soft character will continue to make him a wonderful character actor.
Last year, we had the incredible Perks of Being a Wallflower, which was the teen film of not just 2012 but the new decade. In 2013, we have a lovable runner-up. The warm sincerity of The Way, Way Back may make for a beautiful DVD cover, but the film packs an emotionally honest, realistic wallop, making this the first truly touching sentiment I've seen all year. It's evident that Faxon and Rash what life is like from a teenage-perspective, when everything is confusing, nothing seems to be explainable, and everything is said to be too complicated for you to understand, and know how to make it an homage to the wonderful comedies of decades past such as Meatballs. The thought that the teenage community may in fact have another cinematic voice absolutely warms my heart.
NOTE: My video review of The Way, Way Back, www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-vVQYY_1Tg
Starring: Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph, Jim Rash, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, and Zoe Levin. Directed by: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.