The Way Way Back (2013)

The way way back is the story of Duncan, a teenage boy who reluctantly goes on vacation for the summer with his mom, and his mom's boyfriend who also brought along his own daughter. They stay at a beach house his mom's boyfriend owns in a small seaside town. As it turns out the boyfriend played by Steve Carrel is somewhat emotionally abusive towards Duncan, always putting him down in small and subtle ways . With Duncan's mom being oblivious to the the whole thing or is just simply ignoring it. It doesn't help with Duncan's self esteem who appears to be a shy and introverted young man . Eventually Duncan finds solace in a nearby water park , he accidentally meets the manager of the place , and he takes him under his wing .

The movie is quite simple , but the story is beautiful. And I could really see myself in Duncan. I'm actually an introvert , despite spending a lot of time going out and hanging out with my friends . I really couldn't explain it, I could feel alone in the middle of a party thrown for me while being surrounded by lots of people. But enough about me , as I said the movie's storyline is amazing. I like the the contrast between the sad moment that is going on in Duncan's life , and the great , happy moments he has in the waterpark . It's like a safe haven for him in the middle of the storm. Liam James who plays Duncan was really excellent in this role, and Steve Carrel who plays Trent "the Boyfriend" really shined in being the bad guy. Most comedic actors would find it really hard to shed their funny persona or reputation on screen. It's like no matter what movie you watch them in , you as an audience will always be waiting for something funny to happen. But not with this one , he was very believable as a douche bag, props to Steve Carrel. The rest of the supporting cast also did an amazing job , this is a really well put together film. The characters are all fleshed out , no matter how small their roles is . You get a glimpse of what they are and who they are , in contrast to most movies where you only get that sense from one character or two, not an easy thing to pull off. This is a great movie, I applaud it . It is not heavy drama , or requires too much attention , it is a fun watch yet very intelligent . A nice relaxing film.

Watch Trailer Here

Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash

Cast
Liam James as Duncan
Steve Carell as Trent
Toni Collette as Pam
Allison Janney as Betty
AnnaSophia Robb as Susanna
Sam Rockwell as Owen
Maya Rudolph as Caitlyn
Rob Corddry as Kip
Amanda Peet as Joan