The Way, Way Back (2013)
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88% of critics liked it
(8 reviews) -
98% want to see it
(1,136 ratings)
THE WAY, WAY BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan's (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan… More THE WAY, WAY BACK is the funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan's (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in gregarious Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world - all during a summer he will never forget. (c) Fox Searchlight
Critic Reviews
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William Goss, Film.com
Navigates a crowd-pleasing middle ground between the mopey introspection of Adventureland and the raucous summer antics of Meatballs.
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Peter Debruge, Variety
An endearingly sweet coming-of-ager.
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Brian Tallerico, Film Threat
It would be easy to get overly critical regarding the familiar beats of this crowd-pleaser but that would miss the point. It's a funny movie with a great ensemble performance, a sweet heart, and a note-perfect ending.
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Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com
The performances are solid throughout but Rockwell steals it, doing a riff on the characters Bill Murray played in movies like Stripes - the fast-talking, smart guy who really has a bigger heart than he likes to let on.
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Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Nat Faxton and Jim Rash's directorial debut may not be breaking any new ground but this is a warm and funny tale, helped enormously by good performances and a snappy script.
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Cast
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Steve Carell
as Trent
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Toni Collette
as Pam
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Liam James
as Duncan
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Sam Rockwell
as Owen
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Zoe Levin
as Steph
- Allison Janney
- Maya Rudolph
- Amanda Peet
- Annasophia Robb
- Rob Corddry
- Jim Rash
- Nat Faxon
