I feel like the "lost teenager that finds their way over a Summer" types of movies are becoming more and more common but damn it The Way Way Back is so charming and funny I couldn't help but to love it.
Duncan (Liam James) is a severely lonely and unhappy teenager whose growing resentment towards his mother's boyfriend Trent (Steve Carrell), his mother Pam's (Toni Collette) either total indifference or blindness towards the unfair treatment are sending him further down a hole into depression. That is until he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell), a carefree and light-hearted water park owner who just wants to break Owen out of his shell. This is the Summer that will change everything for him.
All of the performances are spot on. Liam James is very likeable, rootable, and downright vulnerable as Duncan. Steve Carrell proves he can be quite the effective asshole, relentlessly bringing down Duncan like all of the typical douchebag stepdads do. Allison Janney was also quite hillarious as the oversexed and overdrinking neighbor who gets some of the best scenes thanks to her no bullshit attitude and insensitivity towards her son's lazy eye. Sam Rockwell is easily the best part of this movie, he's the heart and soul delivered perfectly.
There's such a sincerity to this movie and I loved it. It isn't the most original movie by far but the characters are great, the situations ring true and though things get serious there isn't a lack of humor due to the clever writing and pitch-perfect performances. The Way Way Back proves that even if you're taking a journey that has a predicted path, if it's solid, you'll have fun and love the ride no matter what.
3/4
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