Starring Liam James, Sam Rockwell
Directed by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Heading The Way, Way Backs list of virtues is the fact it features a teenage pariah who isnt just a Hollywood star in outcasts clothing. (See Logan Lehrman in The Perks of Being a Wallflower for one egregious example.) As 14-year-old Duncan, Liam James keeps his shoulders slumped, eyes to the ground, and voice to a mumbly, stammering whisper. In short, he perfectly conveys the crippling awkwardness of a kid whos humiliated by simply being in the presence of others. Alas, the downside to such a convincing performance is that it makes every contrivance that follows seem all the more unlikely.
Condemned to the beach house of his moms insufferable new boyfriend (Steve Carell) for the summer, Duncan couldnt look more miserable. Fortunately, the buoyant indie pop that plays incessantly on the soundtrack suggests that a turning point is imminent. In short order, hes unjustifiably caught the eye of the older girl next door (AnnaSophia Robb), inexplicably taken under the wing of a quip-happy water park manager (Sam Rockwell), and implausibly achieved legendary status for breakdancing terribly in front of a jaded crowd.
In the interest of adding as many retro touches as possible, the directorial debut from The Descendents co-writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash unfolds in a contemporary world locked in stasis, where teenagers still listen to REO Speedwagon and play Pac-Man. As Duncan explains to his fortysomething mentor that following a pattern in the classic arcade game guarantees victory, you realize that The Way, Way Back is similarly employing tried and tested manoeuvres to ensure rather pleasureless success.
