The Way Way Back

Been a while.  Anyways,

I heard The Way Way Back being billed as a comedy, and given that last Steve Carell comedy I wasn't sure about it.  Then I heard it was written and directed by Jim Rash (the dean on Community) and figured what the hell, it's gotta have more merit than RED 2.

After seeing it, I'm not sure "comedy" was the intended genre.  Sure, there's some fun moments, but they only happen when Sam Rockwell is on screen.

You'll remember him as this guy from Iron Man 2

The Way Way Back is much more of a drama, and a pretty depressing one.  It follows an awkward 14 year old boy being dragged to a beach house for the summer by his mother and her prick of a boyfriend.  He hates his life and it appears everyone around doesn't care for him either.  He's taken under the wing of a childish and charismatic water park manager who helps him open up and blah blah etc.  Long story short, it's a movie about how children don't realize that, though they lack a certain amount of freedom, they have no major responsibilities, and how adults drown themselves in so many responsibilities that they've lost the freedom they earned.

So, yeah.. Hilarious.

Sorry kid

I know it sounds like I'm talking down on this movie, but that's not the case!  As a drama, it's great.  The characters are where this movie shines.  You can feel a backstory from every character the moment they're introduced, and in most cases you find out what really made them the way they are.  Everyone has a history and the acting shows it.  Sam Rockwell's character does his own thing and hates rules, maybe there's a reason for that?  Maybe you'll find out?

It's probably because he's Sam Rockwell and can do this.

The main character, Duncan, played by Liam James, is an incredibly awkward and quiet kid.  There's a lot going on in his mind, but he can never find a way to share it.  He rarely speaks, and when he does the words come out wrong or rambling. He has trouble telling when other people are serious or joking.  Conversations are difficult to keep up, small talk is completely foreign, and... wait a minute, is that the same haircut I had at 14?

This may be a bit too relatable...

You get to see him grow and change as he's dragged out of his comfort zone and become a real person instead of a fly on the wall.  It's a great character and a fantastic telling of this kind of story.  Don't expect to walk away feeling all that happy, but it's a good look into the lives of these interesting characters.