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The Way, Way Back2013, Comedy/Drama, 1h 43m
189 Reviews 50,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Despite its familiar themes, The Way Way Back makes use of its talented cast, finely tuned script, and an abundance of charm to deliver a funny and satisfying coming-of-age story. Read critic reviewscritics consensus
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The Way, Way Back Photos
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Movie Info
Duncan (Liam James) is an awkward teen who must spend the summer at a beach house with his mother (Toni Collette), her boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and Trent's obnoxious daughter. Trent can't resist badgering Duncan, so the youth steals away to a water park and gets a job that will help him stay off Trent's radar. As Duncan tends to the slides and pools of the aging park, he finds a father figure in wisecracking park manager Owen (Sam Rockwell) at a time when he desperately needs one.
Rating:
PG-13 (Language|Brief Drug Material|Some Sexual Content|Thematic Elements)
Genre:
Comedy, Drama
Original Language:
English
Director:
Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Producer:
Kevin J. Walsh, Tom Rice
Writer:
Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Release Date (Theaters):
Jul 26, 2013 wide
Release Date (Streaming):
Oct 22, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA):
$21.4M
Runtime:
1h 43m
Distributor:
Fox Searchlight
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Cast & Crew
Steve Carell
Trent
Toni Collette
Pam
Allison Janney
Betty
AnnaSophia Robb
Susanna
Sam Rockwell
Owen
Maya Rudolph
Caitlin
Liam James
Duncan
Rob Corddry
Kip
Amanda Peet
Joan
River Alexander
Peter
Zoe Levin
Steph
Nat Faxon
Roddy
Jim Rash
Lewis
Adam Riegler
Neil
Jeff Ryan
Charlie
Nat Faxon
Director
Jim Rash
Director
Nat Faxon
Screenwriter
Jim Rash
Screenwriter
Kevin J. Walsh
Producer
Tom Rice
Producer
Nat Faxon
Executive Producer
Jim Rash
Executive Producer
Ben Nearn
Executive Producer
Gigi Pritzker
Executive Producer
George Parra
Executive Producer
John Bailey
Cinematographer
Tatiana S. Riegel
Film Editing
Rob Simonsen
Original Music
Mark Ricker
Production Design
Jeremy Woodward
Art Director
Rena DeAngelo
Set Decoration
Ann Roth
Costume Design
Michelle Matland
Costume Design
Allison Jones
Casting
News & Interviews for The Way, Way Back
Critics Consensus: The Wolverine Is Pretty Sharp
Parental Guidance: Despicable Me 2 and The Lone Ranger
Critics Consensus: Despicable Me 2 is Certified Fresh
View All
Critic Reviews for The Way, Way Back
All Critics (189) | Top Critics (61) | Fresh (158) | Rotten (31)
Full Review… Amy Taubin Film Comment MagazineFull Review… Wesley Morris GrantlandFull Review… Thelma Adams Yahoo! MoviesFull Review… J. R. Jones Chicago ReaderNigel Andrews Financial TimesFull Review… Catherine Shoard GuardianFull Review… Keith Garlington Keith & the MoviesFull Review… Josh Winning Radio TimesFull Review… Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a LessonFull Review… Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia)Full Review… Charlotte Harrison Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the MoviesFull Review… Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web SiteView All Critic Reviews (189)
Audience Reviews for The Way, Way Back
Oct 05, 2016
I like coming-of-age movies, and this is one of the better ones. Duncan comes out of his shell and stands up for himself after a summer at the beach. The chief architect of this change is Owen - a strange duck himself.
Red L Super Reviewer
Oct 05, 2014
Not without its moments, but uneven overall--too many characters to background in the early going. As a result, the movie kind of wanders for the first 20-30 minutes, and winds up leaning too heavily on the montage while telling Duncan's story, glazing over the sense of purpose that his new job gives him and his budding romance with the girl next door. Strong final act, though, and great work by Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell playing against type, but there was just too much story here, probably two and a half hours worth... I wouldn't have sat through this kind of movie were it that long, but instead of glazing over the main plot to make it shorter, they could have cut a plot line or two and really brought us further inside Duncan.
Daniel P Super Reviewer
May 13, 2014
A warm and poignant film about adolescence and the pains of growing, offered through an insightful glass. With most credit going to the superb Sam Rockwell, The Way Way Back is a funny film set in the nostalgic point in our lives, a story about that one summer when we were younger that for reasons perhaps both good and bad, was memorable.
Kase V Super Reviewer
May 07, 2014
The comedy team of Jim Rash and Nat Faxon must keep making movies together, because they are amazing. Previously heralded for their screenwriting on "The Descendants," they wrote, directed, and acted in this great coming of age story about a boy stuck between his nervous mother and her hostile boyfriend, while on vacation. There's such a truthful and bittersweet humor to this film, and style comes from that mirth and originality. Its characters are familiar, as if from life, and yet new to us, in the way they act onscreen. Of course the story is pretty run of the mill: boy goes on vacation, boy meets girl, and boy becomes cool via older, callow friends, and eventually finds the courage to stand up to his parent. Yet still, there is a truth and passion to the story that really comes from knowing a teenage experience and knowing that life has many problems but many hidden joys. Sometimes the best kind of coming of age comedies are the ones where everything eventually works out, even if it's not realistic.
Where was the beach in The Way, Way Back?
Introverted 14-year-old Duncan from Albany, New York, reluctantly goes on summer vacation to a beach house in a small seaside town near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with his mother, Pam; her wealthy boyfriend, Trent; and Trent's arrogant daughter, Steph.Where was the movie No Way Back filmed?
Filming Locations (8) 600 Mesquit Street, Los Angeles, California, USA (Opening night scene pan into tunnel.) 6th Street Viaduct, Los Angeles, California, USA (Opening night scene pan into tunnel.)What waterpark did they film The Way, Way Back?
Crew and cast members film a scene for "The Way, Way Back" on the Squid Row slide at Water Wizz in Wareham.