The Way Way Back

Summary:

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.

Plot:

This is a cute story. It’s pretty simple and straightforward with no major twists or turns. It had it’s funny moments and it’s slightly sadder ones. It’s basically a comedy with a bit of a deeper message hidden underneath the jokes. Most of it is pretty predictable, but I don’t think the point of this movie was the story. I think it was the characters. So I’m not going to say anything else about the plot.

Characters:

When you first meet the main character you feel very sorry for him. Then he smiles at a random guy in a car behind theirs and you fall in love with him. He is basically a boy who is extremely shy, doesn’t say much, and is pretty awkward as far as social situations go. He is the most relatable character in the movie which was probably the filmmakers' intent. There are a couple of young girls who are also pretty normal, but most of the other characters are completely crazy. Only two of the adults can be described as sane, that would be Duncan’s mother (who is very damaged) and Owen’s love interest. The rest of the adults are completely insane, and most of them are pretty hilarious.

Cinematography:

Good, the colours change along with Duncan’s mood. When he’s happy there’s bright colours and lights, when he’s down it becomes more gray-toned and dark. It helps set the mood. It’s not Oscar-material, but you can tell that the directors and other film-makers put quite a bit of thought into it.

Who should watch this:

(PG-13) Some language, brief drug material and mild sexual content. The story might also be a little hard for some of the kids to follow and they probably won’t get most of the jokes. If you want a comedy that will make you laugh, but that will still be a bit deeper than just the jokes, this is a good one.

My rating:

I really liked this movie. I thought it was funny, the acting was pretty good and it didn’t bore me once. So 4/5

Quote:

Duncan: How long have you been working there?

Owen: Oh, the park? Um, I've always been there. Ever since I was a small Cambodian child. Of course, that was after 'Nam. I was in the sh*t. Then I joined the circus to become a clown fighter. I know about 46 ways to kill a clown. I hate clowns. I'm kidding except for the part where I really do hate them.