The Way Way Back is Way Way Charming

If you were to go down a checklist of all the standard characteristics of a coming-of-age story, you'd discover that nearly every single one applies to The Way Way Back. It adheres to a rigid formula and manages to hit just about every one of the genre's obligatory story beats before it reaches its conclusion. You've got your main protagonist: the awkward teenage boy searching for his identity; you've got the mean 'stepfather' who tries to bully him into submission; you've got the cute girl next door who said protagonist pines over and who, for some explicable reason, seems to take a liking to him; you've got the zany, outgoing friend who helps him overcome his awkwardness and the summer job they work at together, which will contribute to the main character building his confidence. The list goes on and on and on. And yet, almost despite itself, The Way Way Back succeeds at overcoming its more generic tendencies and ends up being a rather poignant little tale thanks to its first-rate performances and some solid writing/direction.

The story involves a 14-year-old social outcast named Duncan (Liam James) who is stuck with his mom (Toni Collette), her overbearing bully of a boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and Trent's daughter (Zoe Levin) at a beach house for a summer excursion. The excursion is mainly an excuse for Trent to meet up with some old buddies and get drunk and high on a regular basis. Duncan's mom reluctantly joins him for these activities, leaving Duncan to fend for himself. Seeing as how he doesn't have much of a place amongst the group (A fact he is reminded of constantly by everyone around him), he spends most of his time alone listening to music and belting out REO Speedwagon tunes like it's nobody's business. The closest thing he has to a friend is his next door neighbor's very pretty daughter Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), but his attempts to converse with her are more embarrassing than anything else. After he finds a bicycle in the garage and takes an extended ride, he stumbles upon a water park and its goofy, fun-loving manager Owen (Sam Rockwell) befriends him, offering a job at the park and helping Duncan discover his self-confidence in the process.

The Way Way Back starts off rather awkwardly, taking far too much of its time setting up the situations and characters before the plot actually progresses. But, not unlike Duncan himself, it overcomes its initial gawkiness and manages to come into its own. The script, penned by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash and directed by the pair as well, is simple and entertaining even as it's plagued with the more common pratfalls that regularly infest this genre. It's unfortunate that Faxon and Rash all-too-often resort to contrived sequences in order to elicit an emotional response from the audience. (Typically right as whatever song is playing over the soundtrack reaches its most celebratory point) They are both clearly very invested in the material, so one wishes they had spent some more time developing its story structure. Regardless, its heartwarming nature and excellent cast help it get over these little bumps in the road.

The performances are especially to thank for The Way Way Back's overall success. Liam James does a superb job playing the troubled teen Duncan. On paper, the character is practically a blank slate, doing little to make him appealing in any way, but James' sincere performance makes him empathetic and even charming. Carell is surprisingly good at playing the total jackass that is Duncan's mom's boyfriend Trent; AnnaSophia Robb is delightful as Duncan's crush and she's super cute to boot. Everyone plays their parts with great gusto, but the real standout is Sam Rockwell as Duncan's friend Owen. Sure, it's easy for Rockwell to be the standout seeing as how his character is the most inherently energetic of the bunch, spouting hysterical one-liners as if it's a regular pastime. But Rockwell keeps his performance grounded and makes the character totally believable with a passionate, thoughtful performance.

Jim Rash has stated that The Way Way Back is very autobiographical and it's clearly a passion project of his. It may not reach the heights it so frequently aims for, but its heart is in the right place and it has enough going for it to make it an endearing moviegoing experience. Your life might not be changed, but you'll certainly walk out of the theater with a smile on your face.

CONCLUSION: The Way Way Back doesn't revolutionize the coming-of-age genre due to its over reliance on familiar story beats and characterizations, but thanks to a decent script and some excellent performances, from Sam Rockwell in particular, it manages to charm its way out of its conventions.

FINAL RATING: 3.5/5