The Way, Way Back is a pleasant and sometimes moving summer story

Growing up is tough, as we’ve already learned this year from such films as The Kings of Summer, but just like that movie, there tends to be a focus on the sort of generic heterosexual middle class white boy that a lot of screenwriters and filmmakers once were — not exactly a coincidence there. As such, there’s a tendency to accept the experiences of that particular set of people as universally applicable, which is a dangerous trap. The true message of import of these artistic pieces is to tell something honest and meaningful about youth and life. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes they even all run together as the “Summer Movie of White Boy Learns Something.” But oddly enough, kids aren’t the ones who have tough times. Adults also have rough times, because life is hard. Is it any wonder that sometimes adults like to just let go and act like kids? Or what they think is “like a kid”? Adults don’t get kids, which at first seems weird because they used to be them. But life has a way of changing your perspective.

The Way, Way Back from Oscar winning screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (who won for The Descendants) leaves you feeling pretty good, but the more you think about it, the more you wonder if there may be less there than you suspected. It’s patently enjoyable, although it’s slow to start and there is a bit of difficulty connecting to the characters at first. The film follows 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) as he goes with his mother (Toni Collette) to the Cape Cod beach house of her jerk of a boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and his bratty daughter. So already Duncan’s having a difficult time because Trent is truly an awful person, although he’s one of those terrible people that thinks that their crappy behavior is actually reasonable and constructive. Things get more so when Trent’s friends, an irritating couple (Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet) and summer neighbor Betty (Allison Janney) keep everything immature in their adultish way. Of course, there’s a love interest, Betty’s daughter Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) who doesn’t exactly seem to like it there either. But it’s oddly enough not really about her. Because Duncan ends up in the “not as cool as the beach” (because he can avoid the mean girls) waterpark with a full set of eccentric characters, led by park owner Owen (Sam Rockwell). And that’s when the movie actually begins.

This is a story about a disaffected youth, like they all are. But Duncan doesn’t want to be miserable, circumstances have led that way. He begins the movie as an awkward, sullen teenager, but soon enough he begins to demonstrate actual emotions. That’s when you begin to truly care about him. This kid does great work here, seeming perfectly like a real teenager, although it’s helped by impeccable writing of his character’s dialogue, which is mostly quite limited. The movie isn’t just a drama, it’s a “drama-comedy” so you might wonder about the laughs. Most of those come from Sam Rockwell, who is great from beginning to end, managing to transcend the “adult in arrested development” cliche to something human. Sometimes the other characters seem a bit thin, although they are often amusing. The true revelation here comes from Steve Carell, who really does play a character you hate immediately from the first scene. That takes talent, ladies and gents, especially considering that he’s normally exceedingly likable. But this isn’t a movie with problems that will be solved by a punch in the face. Instead, sometimes it’s about talking it through or making tough decisions — or sometimes realizing you can’t solve them at all. It’s no coincidence that there’s a theme of the movie of the feeling of youth — at one point it’s said that the adults treat the summer vacation like they’re “on spring break.” They regress to cliches of themselves, falling into old patterns and difficulties. All while the actual kids are just trying to get there themselves.

The relationship of pure friendship between Owen and Duncan works better than anything else here. A kid needing guidance, helped by someone that is good at heart but doesn’t really have life worked out either. The romantic angle also has a slow burn and doesn’t have the primary importance of the story. So many elements of this movie have been done so many times, but it’s these character that make the movie memorable. But nothing last forever, and this movie probably won’t hold itself in memory for long. Like the North East summer, it’s there and then it’s gone. But as long as kids are still growing up, and as long as adults long for the halcyon days of old, there will be coming of age stories. So a little while longer at least.