The Way, Way Back

This was like "Adventureland" but without the snarkiness. As a "coming of age" film centering on Duncan (a 14-year old teenage boy), it's a little rocky in the beginning, mainly because Duncan is so closed-up emotionally. Duncan's mom Pam (Toni Collette) is being courted by Trent (Steve Carell), and for the summer they are spending it at Trent's beach house, along with Duncan's mother, and Trent's teenage daughter, who finds Duncan's presence to be a drag.

Thankfully the film comes to life, as Allison Janney's "Betty" greets the gang as their next door neighbor with a teenage daughter Susanna (Anna Sophia Robb), who Duncan takes an immediate liking to, but can't sputter any intelligible syllables in front of her at first.

Duncan finds an unlikely father figure in Owen (Sam Rockwell), who somehow manages to run the "Water Wizz" water park nearby the beach house (requires a bike ride to get there for Duncan). Duncan blossoms in unexpected ways over the summer, but also has to confront a familiar situation that his mom hasn't the courage the deal with, so Duncan feels trapped by his circumstances. Truths come out, and relationships are strained.

From the same writing team of Jim Rash and Nate Faxon, who won their screenwriting oscar for "The Descendants", this film is paced well, and filled with enough characters and dialogue to invest into Duncan's predicament and this summer in which he turns a corner, somewhat coming out of his shell.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.