Every summer contains a significant amount of massive productions with huge budgets, tonnes of special effects and a cast that some filmmakers would die for, but to what avail? With their marketing budgets, these type of films often recoup the money they spent, but don’t worm their way into people’s conscious, they are often forgotten immediately.
Indie film has learned to read the signs of blockbuster fatigue, by the end of the summer people are so tired of the Super-Bat-Green-Avenger-Lantern-Man that they are just crying out for something that has a bit of substance, a story they can identify with, played out by reasonably good actors who hate to get caught up in the Hollywood mainstream.
Little Miss Sunshine really became the epitome of that perfect summer antidote. Released in the UK at the beginning of September, the film spread literally from word of mouth due to its loving audience. The script was excellent, the cast second to none, particularly for giving us that first glimpse of the brilliance of Paul Dano and most importantly, it was just hugely enjoyable.
The Way Way Back is that film for this summer. From Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the writers behind the wonderful Descendants, the movie will go some way towards restoring your faith in indie summer cinema.
A real coming-of-age piece, The Way Way Back revolves around the character of Duncan, a lost and unsure 14-year-old who is taken on vacation with his Mom (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend, the endlessly irritating Trent (Steve Carell). While his mother basically returns to her teenage years, Duncan wanders into a water park where he finds an unlikely friendship in the form of Owen (Sam Rockwell) who sets the teenager up with a part-time job.
Through his friendship with those at the water park, Duncan begins to come out of his shell and even develops a relationship of sorts with his sister’s friend, Susanna. However, when he discovers some secrets about Trent, his fake family structure begins to unravel.
First and foremost, this is arguably one of the most enjoyable films from this year, you may feel the need to get up and hug the screen at the end.
Secondly, the performances are second to none. Colette is, as usual, a thoroughly brilliant addition to any cast, the young Liam James who plays Duncan takes the brunt of the film on his shoulders with perfect charisma, Carell is literally the most horrible father figure in the universe and plays that role to its extremity. However, the real star is, of course, Sam Rockwell, who displays a depth to a fun-loving character that you may not think possible. You will want to be friends with this guy by the time the credits roll.
Finally, while they did work on the script for the Descendants before this, The Way Way Back is essentially the debut feature for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, and what a way to begin their directorial careers. Rash himself appears as the brilliant Lewis in the film, barely recognisable.
This will just make you feel better about life. You need to see this.
