The Way, Way Back, recently released on DVD, is a 2013 film that you may have missed while it was in theaters.
You may not recognize the names Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, but, chances are, you recognize their faces. Rash plays the aggressively flamboyant Dean Pelton on NBC’s sublime sitcom Community, while Faxon stars on Ben and Kate in addition to making cameos on just about every big sitcom of the past several years. Together, they happen to make one of the most fearsome screenwriting teams in the business today. They struck gold with their 2011 debut, the excellent beachside coming-of-age story The Descendants, for which they won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. And now Rash and Faxon are trying their hands at directing as well as writing in their new film, a beachside coming-of-age story (see a trend?) called The Way, Way Back.
Liam James, whom you may recognize from Psych and The Killing, stars as Duncan, a moody 14-year-old who goes on a summer-long vacation to the beach with his mother (Toni Collette), her jerk of a boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell, surprisingly effective as a villain), and the boyfriend’s bratty daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). At first, Duncan’s miserable existence seems to only get worse, as he is bullied by Trent and Steph, and ignored by his mother, who would rather spend time boozing and smoking pot with the locals, including Allison Janney in a hilariously unbridled performance as Duncan’s perpetually inebriated neighbor. But then things take a turn when Duncan meets a motor-mouthed free spirit named Owen (Sam Rockwell) who befriends Duncan and gives him a job at a nearby water park that seems to be trapped eternally in the ‘80s.
Rockwell, who’s been a great character actor for years, is the unequivocal star of this film, giving a warm and hysterically funny performance, perfectly showcased in one Sorkin-esque walk and talk scene where he takes Duncan on a tour of the water park and rattles off some of the funniest lines in any comedy of the past decade (Owen: “I like the toughskin act, but we need to get you in a swimsuit. When’s the last time you bought your own jeans?” Duncan: “My mom buys my jeans.” Owen: “Good. Always take things literally.”)
If the Academy is ever to reward an actor for a comedic performance, it should reward Rockwell, who is certainly the most appealing thing about this film. But he’s far from the only appealing thing about this film. Sure, the story arc of the film is a relatively predictable one to anyone who’s ever seen a John Hughes movie. But The Way, Way Back has plenty of fresh and original moments in its screenplay too. The relationship between Duncan and Janney’s brooding daughter (AnnaSophia Robb, in fine, two-armed form. Props if you get that joke…), for one, is not as conventional as you might think. And, all in all, everything about this movie feels completely authentic, from the dialogue, to the setting, to the characters, including Maya Rudolph, Robb Cordry, Amanda Peet, and both of the directors, much like in last year’s winner of a coming of age story, Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Way, Way Back is not as good or as substantial as Perks, but it is a home run for Rash and Faxon from minute one. It’s a wonderfully funny and sweet film that should appeal to movie lovers of all ages. It’s certainly the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year.
A
P.S. Academy, I know you’re reading this. Give Sam Rockwell an Oscar or else. I know where you live.