The Way, Way Back

From a summer full of action, blockbuster hits comes an indie dramedy that has a well-deserved place in my heart. Of course I had to wait to see it three months after it hit theaters because why would a theatre in Kokomo, Indiana, show a low-budget indie over a blockbuster of the summer? Anyway, The Way, Way Back is at this point in the game my favorite summer movie, and coming from the girl who went with her dad every Tuesday morning to the movie theatre, that’s saying quite a bit.

The movie opens in a 1976 classic station wagon, which was in surprisingly good shape might I add, with Trent (Steve Carrell) asking Duncan (Liam James) basically on a scale of 1-10 how he would rate himself. Duncan responds by saying he’s a six. Trent nixes that by saying he’s more like a three than a six. That small two-minute interaction sets the tone of the entire movie.

Duncan, the hero of the story, is your below average fourteen year old who can only be described as a socially-awkward penguin with the posture of a boiled shrimp. This is “The Summer That Changed Everything” for Duncan. Duncan is spending the summer with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), his mother’s boyfriend, Trent, and Trent’s daughter, Steph, at Trent’s beach house all summer.

After being told he’s a three out of ten, we see Duncan bumble around the small New York coastal town trying to find something to occupy his days so he doesn’t have to spend it with his family. Watching him wander around like a loner was actually quite sad. After a few days of riding the pink and green bicycle he found in the garage around the town, he stumbles upon Owen (Sam Rockwell), who is the sarcastically hilarious manager of the local water park, Water Wizz. Owen, who becomes like a brother to Duncan, helps Duncan have a little fun while he’s stuck in the small town by giving him a job at the water park as a “floater”.

On Duncan’s first day at the Water Wizz, he is taught to ogle girls going down the water slide by telling them to, “Hold. Hold. Keep holding,” and break up a break-dance session which effectively earns him the nickname Pop ‘n Lock. Duncan’s first day was my favorite part of the movie because due to the fact that he’s so awkward it was hilarious to watch him try and break-dance. Although things at the water park are going great, home life just keeps getting worse for poor Pop ‘n Lock, which is revealed through a heated game of Candy Land. The game of Candy Land was so blown out of proportion and so intense. That scene took me back to a skit on Saturday Night Live where they intensely ordered pie.

During the Fourth of July celebration, Duncan discovers Trent is having a partial affair with one of the other adults. This leads to an argument to the effect that Duncan calls Trent a scumbag, which he is, and tells his mom she needs to stand up for herself and not just dust these things under the rug anymore. I was so proud of Pop ‘n Lock for standing up for him and his mom. Though the next day, Trent and Pam act like nothing happened, like it had just resolved itself when it hadn’t. While that continues on, Duncan tries to kiss the girl next door, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), but is rejected.

Much to Duncan’s dismay, the family decides to leave town before summer is over. When they are leaving, Susanna comes to say good-bye and kisses Duncan. She said she didn’t kiss him prior because she was, “Surprised. That’s all.” Duncan, still on cloud nine from the kiss, gets in the way, way back of the station wagon. The car pulls away and stops at a gas station for gas. Duncan realizes he never figured out how to pass somebody on the water slide at Water Wizz, which was something he always wondered about. So he does the only rational thing you can do, he gets out of the car and runs across the field separating the gas station from the water park. He tells Owen what he’s attempting and Owen is all for helping. Duncan succeeds and is met by his mom and Trent at the end of the water slide. Duncan finally tells his mom he had a job at the Water Wizz and he introduces Owen to her, which she had asked him to do a few weeks prior. Owen and Duncan say their final goodbyes and Duncan and crew head back to the gas station.

In the last few moments of the movie, we see Duncan’s mother, who was sitting in the front seat with Trent, move to the way, way back with Duncan. The significance of this is that at the beginning of the movie and basically throughout the entire movie, Duncan’s mother was always on Trent’s side, no matter what. Now at the end of the movie, she’s finally on Duncan’s side, which just so happens to be the way, way back of the station wagon. That scene was probably the most poignant scene because Duncan and his mom somewhat reconcile through something so simple. I got a little teary-eyed during that scene.

If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it. The Way, Way Back is one of those coming of age movies comparable to The Breakfast Club or The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Not only was the story line unique, but also Steve Carrell’s performance was something I never thought I’d see. When I see Steve Carrell’s name on a movie poster, I can usually predict he will be that guy you always seem to feel sorry for, but this time he played a scumbag with a lack of a conscious. An ensemble cast to die for, a perfect story line, and jokes galore, The Way, Way Back has something for everyone to fall in love with.