The Way, Way Back
Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Screenplay: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Starring: Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carrel, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph, River Alexander, Zoe Levin, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave!… You’re having way to much fun. It’s making everyone uncomfortable“.
Nat Faxon and Jim Rash may be familiar to some but they haven’t really been household names over the course of their careers. They are both sometime, bit-part, performers having appeared in numerous TV shows but it wasn’t until 2011 that they earned some well-deserved attention by winning an Oscar for their screenwriting duties on Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants“. Now, they turn their hand to directing and it’s apparent that they’re just as comfortable when calling the shots themselves.
Pam (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) are on a summer holiday with his daughter and her son Duncan (Liam James). Duncan is a shy awkward teenager who has trouble adapting to his new “family”. As he struggles to fit in, he eventually finds a friend in man-child Owen (Sam Rockwell) who gives him a job on the local water park and also some good advice on life itself.
As the film opens we are introduced to our young protagonist who’s been relegated to the rear of the family station wagon. This is known as “the way back seat” and also serves us with the reason to the film’s title. This symbolic status is pretty much how the young man has been throughout his awkward teenage years and having his mother’s obnoxious boyfriend talk down to him doesn’t help matters. Straight away we feel for his plight and it’s this very sympathy that drives the film.
On the surface, it shares striking similarities to Greg Mottola’s 2009 film “Adventureland“, in terms of a coming-of-age story set around a summer job on a theme park, but that’s where the comparisons end. Where that film revelled in teenage schmaltz and contrivance, this has an actual beating heart under the surface and benefits from a sharp wit and a perfectly pitched poignancy. On the evidence here, it also shows that co-writer/directors Faxon and Rash have a keen sense of both adolescence and adulthood and that “The Descendants” was no fluke in applying them both. Their characters are well observed and beautifully played by all involved; although it’s nothing new for her, Collette delivers her usual reliability while Carell (who I’m not normally a fan of) underplays his role to perfection and does well to leave his comedic chops to the side and allow others to take over. Young Liam James is entirely convincing in balancing the requisite resentment and sullenness of an introverted 14 year-old without ever losing your sympathy and the wonderfully talented, and vastly underrated, Allison Janney delivers her gregarious and borderline alcoholic, single mother, with aplomb. It’s her quick-fire deliveries that keep the film on comfortable ground through some periodic lulls until, the always excellent, Sam Rockwell makes an appearance. Rockwell has never given a poor performance in my eyes but rarely has he ever stolen the show like he does here. The screen is almost not big enough to contain his charisma and superb comic timing (a lot of which was apparently improvised). As good as the entire cast are, though, a lot of credit has to be given to Faxon and Rash for their engaging writing. The laughs are consistent and never feel forced while it’s sentimentality is in equally good measure. It’s testament to them that a film that really should’ve came across as formulaic and contrived, simply doesn’t. It comes across as fresh, honest and, more importantly, thoroughly enjoyable.
Not only reuniting Carell and Collette from “Little Miss Sunshine“, this is also a reminder of that film’s balance of humour and pathos and captures the same human frailty and ability to overcome.
Mark Walker
Trivia: In order to save money, the filmmakers decided to not get trailers for the actors, and instead decided to rent a house for the duration of filming (approx. 6 weeks), where the actors could go between takes. The house turned into a popular hangout spot for the cast and crew, and they would often go to the house even during weekends or days off.
MARKED MOVIES 
November 7, 2013 at 1:26 pm
I kinda feel like everybody loves Sam Rockwell. Great review and if I ever stumble across this, I’ll definitely give it a watch – I loved The Descendants a lot for the screenplay, so glad to hear these guys are out and about and good at it.
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November 7, 2013 at 1:34 pm
What’s not to like about Rockwell, I say. 😉 He’s great in everything he does and this is another outstanding performance from him. You should check it out, it wonderful little film. Thanks Elina.
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November 7, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Good review. This one definitely plays laughs and sadness off of each other with impeccable timing. I wish it had developed Trent with more balance, though.
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November 7, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Thanks man. I thought the timing was spot on too. I couldn’t complain about Trent’s character, though. I normally don’t take to Carrel but I thought he done great here. For the most part, it seemed like he was trying to help but the more his character developed, it was obvious he was an asshole.
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November 7, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Carrel is the only thing that makes Trent tolerable. His performance is great. The character needed something “good,” though.
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November 7, 2013 at 4:04 pm
Yeah, I can see where your coming from. Carrel was good but his character had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Fair point, man.
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November 7, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Nice review. Really eager to check this out since I’m a big fan of Carrell and Jim Rash.
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November 7, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Thanks man. It’s certainly worth a watch. The main draw for me was Rockwell and I’m always keen on Allison Janney who is wonderful here. I have to say, though, not being a fan of Carrel’s, it was good to see him do something different.
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November 7, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Everybody in this cast seemed like they were having the time of their lives which, as a result, made me feel the same way. Especially with Rockwell stealing the show with every line he had to deliver, like usual. Good review Mark.
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November 7, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Cheers Dan. Couldn’t agree more, mate. Everybody was great and for a while it was Allison Janney that was stealing the show until Rockwell turned out. Great entertainment all round.
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November 7, 2013 at 4:08 pm
Sam Rockwell is a top notch actor, never heard of this film prior to reading the review, the fact it’s by the combo behind “The Descendants has peaked my interest.
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November 7, 2013 at 4:15 pm
It’s a great wee film Chris and Rockwell is superb. He’s a real favourite of mine. The fact that it’s the guys behind The Descendants is good enough reason to look it up. I loved it.
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November 7, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Good work, Muckers – probably not one I’ll se anytime soon. Most likely when it’s free I’ll watch it with the old lady.
Boat Drinks!
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November 7, 2013 at 5:41 pm
Yeah, I watched it with the good lady myself and it went down well for us both. Good entertainment, man.
Boat Drinks!
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November 7, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Good review, Mark. I thought this was a nice little movie myself. 🙂
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November 7, 2013 at 5:43 pm
Glad to hear it Chris. I was wondering what all the fuss was about beforehand but now I know. I liked little pleasant movies like this. Cheers my man!
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November 7, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Solid review bro. I really need to see this. It’s been on my list since it came out and I really have no excuse.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:03 pm
Cheers bro! At least you have it on your list. That’s a good start and it’s rightfully there. Such a good little film with plenty of charm.
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November 7, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Great review Mark! I might watch this in the next couple of weeks, love the cast, I mean Rockwell, Carell, Toni Collette, those are solid actors! Rockwell is such a scene stealer, love him.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:04 pm
Thanks Ruth. The cast is impressive on paper and equally impressive on screen. Like you say, though, Rockwell steals every scene he’s in. Allison Janney does likewise from her end too, though.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:10 pm
Oh I like Janney too, seriously, the cast is really great here. Curious to see the young actor in the lead role too, I’ve been impressed w/ a number of relative newbie actors lately.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:14 pm
If you like Janney already, you’ll love her in this. The newcomer Liam James plays it wonderfully too. Such an endearing presence. This young man will go far.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:15 pm
Very cool, looking forward to watching it!
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November 7, 2013 at 8:39 pm
Looking forward to your take on it, Ruth. I’m sure you’ll like it.
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November 7, 2013 at 8:46 pm
I’ll definitely review it after I see it. Btw, have u seen the two films I just reviewed? Curious to hear what you think.
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November 7, 2013 at 8:50 pm
I haven’t got through my emails yet, Ruth, but I’ll definitely stop by and let you know. I’m still playing catch-up to be honest. Trying to juggle my own blog and the DeNiro blog as Tyson has his hands full with his lovely new arrival. 🙂
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November 7, 2013 at 7:21 pm
The way you worded and summed up Rockwell’s performance is dead-on, excellent review my friend. I love this flick, easily one of the best of the year thus far!
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November 7, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Thanks, my man. Much appreciated. There was plenty to enjoy here. It’s been the biggest surprise this year, that’s for sure. Excellent little film.
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November 7, 2013 at 7:40 pm
Great review pal. I loved this, the performances were spot on and the writing was tight and kept things really simple. A real surprise hit this one.
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November 7, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Cheers Matey! Definitely one of the biggest surprises. I expected it to be half-decent but really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Performance wise, nobody put a foot wrong but it was hard for anyone to steal it from Rockwell.
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November 7, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Such a lovely movie. I had a smile on my face almost the whole way through and Rockwell’s performance is effortless. Great work on this one Mark.
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November 7, 2013 at 8:47 pm
Cheers Mark. I was the same. I was very pleasantly surprised that it kept the laughs coming. The humour never ran out of steam and that’s not an easy thing to do. As everyone seems to be in agreement on… Rockwell was superb!
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November 8, 2013 at 6:36 am
Great review Mark. I should really just get to checking this out. I am glad to hear that Carell was not such a tool in here, I really am not a fan of his.
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November 8, 2013 at 7:49 am
Thanks Zoe. I’m not a fan either but Carell plays the straight man here and not a very nice one at that. He’s really rather effective and allows the jokes to fly from Rockwell and Allison Janney’s corner instead. Great little film with a great ensemble.
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November 8, 2013 at 7:50 am
Hmmm, sounds like it could work then!
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November 8, 2013 at 7:51 am
And work it does. 😉
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November 8, 2013 at 9:46 am
Saw this a few weeks back and even I’d got steady vibes of Adventureland. I connected more with Adventureland than this one…maybe because I am way past my 14 year mark. Nonetheless its a perfectly enjoyable one. Kudos for Sam Rockwell & Liam! Good write up.
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November 8, 2013 at 10:22 am
I really wasn’t a fan of Adventureland to be honest. Even though the character was older I found its vibe too adolescent. With this though, I found it was more adult due to the supporting characters around the young protagonist. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
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November 8, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Great review. Sam Rockwell is just fantastic here, although he’s always great isn’t he?
As for the film, The Way Way Back is crippled from the start by a character I didn’t want to spend any time with. Even when they bring him out of his shell there wasn’t anything there for me to care about thanks to that dreadful combination of poor writing and poorer performance. Give me a movie about Rockwell’s character and there’s something I would be interested in, but as much as he soars the rest of this film utterly sinks.
I did enjoy Toni Collette and Allison Janney in it too.
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November 8, 2013 at 1:50 pm
I actually found the little guy quite appealing and I thought the young fella performed well. There’s no doubt that it’s Rockwell who lifts it to new heights though. It probably wouldn’t have worked as well without him. Thanks for dropping in 🙂
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November 8, 2013 at 8:05 pm
[…] The Way, Way Back is looking like a fantastic film judging by  reviews from Shane and Mark. […]
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November 9, 2013 at 3:53 am
Great review. This has became one of my favorite releases this year because of the cast and the writing. I thought that Liam James was a natural in the role. I quite enjoyed Sam Rockwell’s performance as well.
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November 9, 2013 at 8:55 am
Thanks! I couldn’t agree more. Young Liam James was perfect in the role and his melancholia was offset brilliantly by the verve and enthusiasm of Rockwell. Such a little treat.
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November 9, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Great review! I just reviewed this recently too as I managed to catch it in the cinema a few weeks ago. So glad I did! Absolutely loved it – my second favorite film this year (after Rush). I wish there were more films like this…
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November 9, 2013 at 9:44 pm
I’ve yet to see Rush but I’d include this amongst the biggest surprises of the year. I’m not sure if I’d include it in my top ten yet. It’s unlikely but it’s still worthy of some attention.
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November 11, 2013 at 12:12 am
Great review, Mark, glad you dug this. You’re spot on about Rockwell — he was in top form here.
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November 11, 2013 at 1:17 pm
Cheers Eric. Rockwell is always reliable but he did really stand out here. He was great fun to watch.
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November 11, 2013 at 5:35 am
So glad you liked this film, Mark. It’s sitting #1 on my list of the year right now.
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November 11, 2013 at 1:19 pm
#1? High praise indeed, Nick. It was a little treat and no mistake. I’d heard good things beforehand and decided to give it a go. In all honesty, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. Great little film.
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November 11, 2013 at 3:48 pm
2013 has been all about the little flicks!
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November 12, 2013 at 8:31 pm
I’d agree with you there Nick. The little ones are the ones that have appealed to me most.
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November 12, 2013 at 7:36 pm
Great review Mark, looks like a promising movie.
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November 12, 2013 at 8:32 pm
Cheers Vinnie. It’s a one of the good ones. Unexpected but all the better for it.
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November 18, 2013 at 11:08 am
Top work man, I love that you love it as much as I did!!! Cast was fantastic, the writing phenomenal and my god is Jim Rash hilarious and hilarious looking in this movie for the brief bit he’s got!!! I rarely buy DVD’s anymore since Netflix is so great, but this one is added to the pile for sure when it’s out! 😀
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November 18, 2013 at 11:11 am
Cheers Tom. It was a pure treat wasn’t it? I didn’t expect that much from it, to be honest, but it really surprised me. Great little flick.
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