Duncan is en route to the worst summer of his life. The plan is for him to stay at a summer beach house with his bratty older sister, his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), and her jackass boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). In the opening shot, Trent establishes his contemptibility by informing Duncan, without prompting, that he considers Duncan to be a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. What is Duncan supposed to say to that? Trent mistakenly thinks he can step in as a father figure by, of all things, constantly demeaning Duncan. Wrong!
Pam is almost as worthy of our sympathy as is Duncan. She is a middle-aged woman for whom motherhood is not enough. She needs a man in her life, and apparently, conscious of her fading youth, is willing to settle for a lot less than she deserves when she hooks up with Trent. As the story progresses, Pam starts to see Trent more in the same way that her son, and we the audience, perceives him. Interestingly, her world starts to unravel over a game of Candyland.
There are two means by which Duncan can save himself from this impending
Summer From Hell. First, as luck would have it, the best looking girl on the
beach, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb), is in the house right next door, and she is
bored out of her wits too. That proximity and common ground should enable
Duncan to get his mind off of Trent. Secondly, the community's most
entertaining venue, a water park called Water Wizz, is a short bike ride away,
and it is there that Duncan meets his savior, Owen (Sam Rockwell). Owen is one
of the park's managers, but he acts more like a comedic day camp director than a
person charged with some serious responsibilities, including the well being of
his youthful clientele.
Unbeknownst to Pam or anyone else in his entourage, Duncan accepts a minimum wage job at Water Wizz from Owen. Unlike Trent, Owen makes an immediate connection with Duncan, treating him kindly without being patronizing or condescending, and actually listens to what Duncan has to say. At least there is one male with whom Duncan can make a connection. Duncan has found his niche, quickly being accepted by the park staff as a conscienscious worker and even awarded Employee Of The Month honors. There is a stark contrast between Duncan's miserable time with his family and his hours at Water Wizz.
Unbeknownst to Pam or anyone else in his entourage, Duncan accepts a minimum wage job at Water Wizz from Owen. Unlike Trent, Owen makes an immediate connection with Duncan, treating him kindly without being patronizing or condescending, and actually listens to what Duncan has to say. At least there is one male with whom Duncan can make a connection. Duncan has found his niche, quickly being accepted by the park staff as a conscienscious worker and even awarded Employee Of The Month honors. There is a stark contrast between Duncan's miserable time with his family and his hours at Water Wizz.
The Way, Way Back is one of those comedies where the best and
funniest moments are the ones we've already seen in the trailers. That usually
results in disappointment for me, but I've carved out an exception here because,
as funny as Owen is, the most humorous character is Betty, the hysterical mother
of Susanna, played by Allison Janney. When Janney played C.J. Cregg, the
president's press secretary on TV's West Wing for all seven of its
seasons, there was a hint of humor even though Cregg was a workaholic. In
The Way, Way Back, Betty is a party animal who is rarely seen without a
drink in her hand.
James plays Duncan almost catatonically. At one point Trent asks Duncan, "Are you for real?" I wondered the same thing.
In order to describe my impression of Steve Carell in this movie, I have to start with Alan Alda. M*A*S*H reruns used to be televised after the local news for years, and I watched every one of them. Alda was Hawkeye Pierce, the wacky central character who never let his distaste for the Korean War get in the way of his duties as a surgeon. A majority of the jokes in M*A*S*H were either spoken by Hawkeye or at least involved him. After I finished watching the M*A*S*H reruns and saw Alda in a few movies, I wanted him to be Hawkeye all over again. When he strayed too far from that persona [e.g., Tower Heist, reviewed here on January 17, 2012 (B-), and 1979's The Seduction Of Joe Tynan], I winced.
As is the case with Alda, a large part of the problem I have with Carell is my fault; I want him to reprise Michael Scott (from TV's The Office) in all his roles. Since that is not possible, I like him more in movies where he is more like Scott [2011's pre-blog Crazy Stupid Love (B+)] than when he is not [Hope Springs, reviewed here on August 21, 2012 (C+)]. Carell is smart for wanting to avoid being stereotyped as strictly a comedian. I just have to get used to it.
James plays Duncan almost catatonically. At one point Trent asks Duncan, "Are you for real?" I wondered the same thing.
In order to describe my impression of Steve Carell in this movie, I have to start with Alan Alda. M*A*S*H reruns used to be televised after the local news for years, and I watched every one of them. Alda was Hawkeye Pierce, the wacky central character who never let his distaste for the Korean War get in the way of his duties as a surgeon. A majority of the jokes in M*A*S*H were either spoken by Hawkeye or at least involved him. After I finished watching the M*A*S*H reruns and saw Alda in a few movies, I wanted him to be Hawkeye all over again. When he strayed too far from that persona [e.g., Tower Heist, reviewed here on January 17, 2012 (B-), and 1979's The Seduction Of Joe Tynan], I winced.
As is the case with Alda, a large part of the problem I have with Carell is my fault; I want him to reprise Michael Scott (from TV's The Office) in all his roles. Since that is not possible, I like him more in movies where he is more like Scott [2011's pre-blog Crazy Stupid Love (B+)] than when he is not [Hope Springs, reviewed here on August 21, 2012 (C+)]. Carell is smart for wanting to avoid being stereotyped as strictly a comedian. I just have to get used to it.
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