Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.
Liam James
Duncan
Steve Carell
Trent Ramsey
Toni Collette
Pam
AnnaSophia Robb
Susanna Thompson
Sam Rockwell
Owen
Allison Janney
Betty Thompson
Maya Rudolph
Caitlyn
Amanda Peet
Joan
Rob Corddry
Kip
Nat Faxon
Roddy
Jim Rash
Lewis
Zoe Levin
Steph
River Alexander
Peter Thompson
Adam Riegler
Niel
Jeremy Weaver
Jason
Robert Capron
Kyle
Rodney Lodge
Malcolm
Devon Werden
Laura
Ava Deluca-Verley
Katy
Jake Picking
Chad
Jeff Ryan
Charlie
Andria Blackman
Beautiful Woman
Aingea Venuto
Sunbathing Girl
Emily Petta
Teen's Mother
Director, Writer
Nat Faxon
Director, Writer
Jim Rash
July 4, 2021
9
_**A boy coming-of-age near Cape Cod and more**_
A 14 year-old boy (Liam James) struggles to fit-in with the family & friends of his mother’s new beau (Steve Carell) as they partake of a vacation at his beach house in the Cape Cod area. The teen finds a quasi-mentor (Sam Rockwell) at a water park while developing a friendship with the cute neighbor girl (AnnaSophia Robb). Toni Collette plays the mother, Allison Janney a friend and Amanda Peet a flirty woman.
“The Way Way Back” (2013) is a coming-of-age flick that meshes elements of films like "The Squid and the Whale" (2005), “The Summer of ’42” (1971), “Meatballs” (1979), “Swimming” (2000) and “Lawn Dogs” (1997), but this is arguably the best of them.
Part of the genius of the movie is that the potential stepfather (Carell) isn’t made out to be totally evil nor is the seeming mentor (Rockwell) perfect. They’re both flawed men with presumably good intentions toward the boy, but only one proves that he’s a worthy father-figure. Moreover, the all-around writing/acting smacks of real life.
AnnaSophia is super cute on the female front while Zoe Levin is alluring as the pouty, bratty stepsister. Meanwhile Andria Blackman has a standout cameo as the girl in a yellow bikini.
The film runs 1 hour, 43 minutes, and was shot in the Cape Code region of Massachusetts: Wareham & nearby Onset; Marshfield & nearby Duxbury.
GRADE: A/A-
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$4,600,000.00
Revenue:
$23,198,652.00