Remember “The Adventures of Pete & Pete?” “The Way, Way Back” would have been better as an episode of a coming-of-age show like that. As a film, it feels insubstantial and underdeveloped. Its parts are greater than their sum.
Liam James stars as a shy, awkward teenager (is there any other kind?) named Duncan. While spending the summer in a beachside tourist town, Duncan finds himself affected by two men: his mom’s (Toni Collette) ornery new boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Owen (Sam Rockwell), the cool, charismatic manager of Water Wizz, a rundown waterslide park.
Carell adds weight to an otherwise flimsy part. Aside from being a stickler for rules in family boardgames and making Duncan wear the only lifejacket on his boat, he’s not as absurdly jerky as he could be.
Rockwell picks up Carell's slack, creating the kind of comic, whimsical character we always hope to see in movies about life-changing summer vacations. He's a goofy, big-brother type reminiscent of Bill Murray's character in the summer camp comedy "Meatballs." As he helps Duncan loosen up, we learn Owen's perpetually playful, childlike nature is the result of an adolescence similar to Duncan's — one stripped of joy by a mean father.
This peek into Owen's past is made all the more poignant by its subtlety. It's a sweet moment that quietly sneaks up on you — a surprisingly understated scene within a genre steeped in sap and sentimentality. The film's poignance is a large credit to Rockwell's engaging performance, which pulsates with wit and pathos.
Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (the Oscar-winning writing team behind 2011's "The Descendants"), "The Way, Way Back" has a few inspired moments and characters, but it is ultimately underwhelming. Ironically, the film might have been more enjoyable if it surrendered to a few of the clichés it tries to subvert.
For instance, while Owen's tense encounter with Duncan's future stepfather is admirably realistic, it could have been so much juicier, especially in the talented hands of Rockwell and Carell. Come on, they had a waterpark at their disposal; where was the big water fight? Why didn't they break out the super soakers? The film builds and builds with quiet, intimate moments, but it lacks a big, cathartic one.
"The Way, Way Back" is often refreshingly reserved, but it also proves less isn't always more. The film is like a swimming pool without a deep end. It's nice and fun for a little while, but it leaves something to be desired.