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#THE WAY WAY BACK CAST MOVIE#

Duncan is supposed to be painfully awkward, but James can only clench his fists and squint his face. At the risk of coming off like Trent, the kid is way less than a three.Īlthough probably a fine young person in real life, James wasn't the right choice for this role, which, if it wanted to lean toward the comic, cried out for a Michael Cera type of 10 years ago. That kind of assumption is common in films like this, but usually supported by a strong, likeable lead actor, which Liam James is not. It's just assumed that people should like him, unless they're jerks like Trent. We never witness any reason, certainly not from Duncan. Questions go unanswered, such as why Owen takes such an interest in Duncan, and why Betty's pretty daughter (AnnaSophia Robb) does too. But Faxon and Rash aren't as adept at creating a convincing story or developing Duncan as a sympathetic character. Most provide at least one laugh-out-loud moment. Trent's bawdy neighbor Betty (Allison Janney) and his best friends, Kip and Joan (Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet), provide some decent comic relief, as do the water park employees.

#THE WAY WAY BACK CAST MOVIE#

The movie has a ramshackle quality similar to Owen's water park, inelegantly attempting to create a Judd Apatow-style blend of comedy and drama that's all over the place. "The Way Way Back" was written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who won a best-adapted screenplay Oscar with Alexander Payne for 2010's "The Descendents." Working solo, they've given in to their worst impulses. I wish the movie was more about this relationship and its contrast to Trent's hypocrisies. He takes a liking to Duncan and tries to help him with his confidence, even to the point of hiring him. Owen is the antithesis of Trent: easygoing and honestly friendly. It's on these excursions that Duncan runs into Owen, the caretaker of a local water park called Water Wizz. It's no wonder Duncan begins sneaking off early every morning (on a girl's bicycle - one of many touches, it must be acknowledged, that make this a bearable comedy). Trent constantly emasculates Duncan, making him wear an embarrassingly oversized lifejacket on a boating trip, for example, when no one else has to. Yes, he's just a kid, and to be fair, his character must endure a lot. Unfortunately, the same doesn't apply to James as Duncan.

None of the supporting actors is particularly bad, but they all seem to be off in their own movies. In a surprising career turn, the erstwhile comic dredges up a memorable, believable villain, with a loathsome and childish pettiness reminiscent of the stepfather played by Robert DeNiro in "This Boy's Life." But Carell's commendable and uncharacteristic performance is out of step with the rest of the cast, who variously align on one side or the other between goofy comedy and serious drama. "You're a three out of 10," he says.Ĭarell's interpretation of Trent is the unexpected highlight of the film. Lecturing Duncan during the film's opening, he brutally tells the boy that he needs to improve his social skills. Trent is obnoxious - arrogant and condescending. The story follows the travails of Duncan (Liam James), who isn't at all pleased about having to spend summer vacation with his mom, Pam (Toni Collette), and her new boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), at the latter's beach house. For this movie to succeed, they needed to go way, way back into casting and try again. There are a lot of positive things you can say about "The Way Way Back," but it doesn't have that essential ingredient. They need child actors who can convincingly play people whose personalities move forward in some way.

Liam James' portrayal of the protagonist Duncan isn't up to the task in the comedy drama, "The Way Way Back."Ĭoming-of-age stories, whether mostly serious, such as "Stand by Me," or mostly comic, such as the new film "The Way Way Back," have one absolutely essential ingredient.

Topics also include the Black List, water park culture, and Allison Janney as various anthropomorphized types of alcohol. We get into his newfound typecast as racists, how the film feels like it should be a period piece, and the ethos of festival fever. The highest praise for the film was granted toward Sam Rockwell, still in the phase of his career as a critics darling before his first Oscar nomination. Well, except by our good friends at the AARP M4Gs. But even with two of Sunshine’s Toni Collette and Steve Carell among the cast, audiences and critics alike were far less enthusiastic about The Way Way Back’s summer vibes, leaving the film forgotten by year’s end. The film was another massive Sundance buy for Fox Searchlight, who sold it to audiences very much in the mold of its successful Little Miss Sunshine.

We decided to end the summer with another Listeners’ Choice episode and your triumphant film was 2013′s Sundance title The Way Way Back.