Cinematography:
John BaileyComposer:
Rob SimonsenCast:
Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, Robert Capron, Jim Rash (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
While 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is being dragged on a family trip with his mum (Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend (Carell), he finds a gregarious friend (Rockwell) at a local water park. The two form a powerful bond as Duncan learns to swim through the challenges of life, love, family and friendship, resulting in a holiday he'll never forget. (20th Century Fox UK)
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Reviews (7)
Huge surprise. A movie I first heard about a couple of hours before putting it on. In other words, totally unexpected. The Way Way Back feels very realistic, with very well written and heartfelt characters. Introvert viewers will easily relate to Duncan (tested). And another great role for Sam Rockwell as a bonus.
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I really dig films like this. Not only do they take place in a setting where I could go and spend the rest of my life, but they usually have completely believable and likeable characters with whom you can easily identify. Here, the reins are firmly in the hands of the really cool Sam Rockwell, who shows how to excel in a supporting role, but sympathies are also gradually won over by the stodgy Liam James and, of course, the flamboyant Anna Sophia Robb, who looks even better than in Soul Surfer. Moreover, all the family hardships that the main characters go through sound quite believable and, in combination with the summer sun and the chattering Rockwell, it creates a very hilarious whole. For me a very welcome surprise, especially in this winter months. 75%
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Some films just float through the ether and don't get talked about much. In some cases, it doesn't matter, but for others, it's a shame they're not talked about more. This is a case of The Way Way Back. The film has an absolutely great cast, which shows again that there's no need to goof off, and it's still possible to make a good comedy - actually a great comedy - because this is primarily a great film. The comedic and dramatic elements are in almost perfect balance. Yes, introverted heroes are simply the trend today. It's starting to become a bit cliché, but when it's filmed this well, then who cares? Steve Carell once again proves how great he is in non-comedic roles, this time delivering a truly surprising character.
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Every shy boy will eventually grow up and become a man. For some, maybe for me, a specific stage of life is responsible for it, while for others it's a certain place, for someone else it's a girl. And for Duncan, it was the people who saw more in him than his own family. And when one of those people is Sam Rockwell, once again proving that every few years he's capable of breaking any film with his presence, it's all over – and suddenly The Way Way Back becomes a powerful emotional film. Not a perfect one, because the adult problems seem inappropriate and maybe even cruel through the eyes of a teenager. But with the story of Water Wizz, it's not about what happens, but how it happens. And Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won me over completely with that. Writing a screenplay and then, after the directors they had in mind couldn't do it, directing it themselves as their debut is pretty cool. It doesn't seem too long ago that I used to watch films about barely recognizable internal growth in order to find answers. Today, I watch them and feel like advising the main characters on how to handle it and telling them that it'll all be better someday. Fortunately, that's not possible and everyone will (hopefully) figure it out on their own.
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I would never think that this film would offer one of the most enjoyable characters I’ve ever seen. Sam Rockwell played such a relaxed character that he was really close to the reviewer known as Enšpígl. Plus the setting of a water park, chillout, which beautifully lifted the mood of a boy whose self-confidence at the beginning of the film was at the freezing point, only to show in the final scene that after some time spent with Sam he is actually very nice and cool. A pleasant movie with a relaxed mood. It’s a pity that the sun did not come out of the rain clouds while I was watching the film. I would’ve enjoyed it even more.
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