The Way Way Back (2013)
Awkward teenager Duncan (Liam James) finds a surrogate father in Owen (Sam Rockwell), the manager of Water Wizz. This is not an original film, but the characters are so authentic and the enthusiasm so overwhelming, it’s more than capable of overcoming any deficiency in its conceit.
James’s ability to draw the audience in to Duncan’s turmoil is remarkable for someone so young and Rockwell exudes so much charisma, I missed him when he was not onscreen.
Steve Carrell is great as Trent, the asshole dating Duncan’s mom, Pam played by the underrated Toni Collette.
The pairing of Carrell and Collette made me think of their previous collaboration, the missed opportunity, Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
Maya Rudolph’s relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson fascinates me. His movies are serious musings about important subjects, but his partner is the star of Idiocracy (2006). This makes me want to look for more humor in his movies, and more darkness in her performances.
Co-writers and co-directors, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, already have an Academy Award for their adaptation of The Descendants (2011). I’m a fan of Rash. Dean Pelton is one of the highlights of the excellent Community, and his work as Lewis, one of the workers at Water Wizz, is delightful. I’m not as familiar with Nat Faxon, but his turn as Roddy, another Water Wizz employee, while serviceable, doesn’t have the same star power.
This is not groundbreaking cinema, but it offers something exceedingly rare: two hours of entertainment, which will leave you feeling better about yourself and the world we live in.