The Way Way Back (2013) Movie Review

THE WAY WAY BACK (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Sometimes a film you know nothing about can just come out and surprise you, this is an example of one of those movies.

The story revolves around shy 14-year old Duncan (Liam James) as him and his family go on summer vacation to his stepfather's (Steve Carell) beach house, in which Duncan is not looking forward to. As the story unfolds and shows how he is not fitting in, he decides to roam around the area. In his travels, he finds a water park in which he has little interest in at first. This changes when he meets his new friend Owen (Sam Rockwell). Upon meeting Owen, Duncan soon acquires a part-time job at the park and begins to form greater relationships, both friendly and emotionally. This emotional relationship begins with the neighbours daughter  Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb). Overall, the plot for the most part is just a heart felt one and really does explain why Duncan does not want to travel to this particular place, especially with his stepfather. 

Still of Liam James

One thing I really enjoyed about this flick is the soundtrack as it is so upbeat and catchy and most importantly, fits perfectly with the scenario being played out. As well as this, the humour was without question the best thing about the movie. This is because of the various actors that said some funny lines, with the main one being Sam Rockwell as Owen. Also, I thought that the relationship between Duncan and Susanna was going to be completely forced but it wasn't. I actually felt like these two young lovers had actual feelings of love for one another, which excels later during the movie. These aspects, and many more, is one reason why this film worked and continued to have me laughing and caring at and about these characters. Lastly, I must say that Duncan is defiantly punching above his weight in this movie as AnnaSophia Robb is just a gorgeous chick, just putting it out there.

Still of Liam James and AnnaSophia Robb

As I briefly touched on before, the acting was by far one of this film's best aspects. This is because they acquired an impeccable cast for each character. Liam James, whilst has not had much experience in the industry, showed decent enough acting talent considering the role he was playing. Without question, the two best people in this movie were Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell. Rockwell said the best and funniest lines in the film and while we were not supposed to root for the father, Steve Carell had the role his own by being the biggest dick he could towards his step son. Overall, the acting I felt was really effective and strong considering the movie held younger actors as the stars. 

Still of Zoe Levin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette,
Sam Rockwell and Liam James

Overall, The Way Way Back is without question the biggest shock movie this year. Showing great acting, great humour and a story that keeps you engrossed till the very end, this movie shows that while not all vacation's a good at first, they may just surprise you if you make it your own. 

(Sorry for the short length of this review, too tired to consider what I write today)

OVERALL: 7.6/10