The Way Way Back
THE WAY, WAY BACK
PG-13
2013, Comedy/Drama, 1h 43m
TOMATOMETER188 Reviews
AUDIENCE SCORE50,000+ Ratings
WHAT TO KNOW
CRITICS CONSENSUS
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 reviews
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WHERE TO WATCH
THE WAY, WAY BACK PHOTOS
MOVIE INFO
CAST & CREW
Trent
Pam
Betty
Susanna
Owen
Caitlin
CRITIC REVIEWS FOR THE WAY, WAY BACK
Sundance would not be Sundance without a few unbelievably stupid, clichéd, graceless movies in the mix.
Amy TaubinFilm Comment Magazine
The film has been complacently concocted for likability even as it gives you very little that’s real, structured, or spontaneous enough to enjoy.
If you’re first act was writing the Oscar winning screenplay for “The Descendants,” looking for an encore can be tough. But Nat Faxon and Jim Rash leveraged that win and made the leap to directing their own small-budget, bighearted coming of age comedy.
Nice comedic work from Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney buoys this pleasant but routine coming-of-age drama by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.
Never mind the text; feel the texture.
For all the longueurs, there are still enough moments of near brilliance to sustain you through the trip.
Warm and well-meaning, with a fantastic soundtrack and a poignant ending that can’t help but bring a lump to the throat.
Every so often, a movie comes along and not only surprises you for its quality, but completely satisfies the emotional investment and trust you put into it.
An accomplished acting ensemble led by Collette, Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell make a difficult task look deceptively easy.
I cannot sing the praises of this film often enough. Just wonderful.
The Way Way Back touches on certain important matters, while turning a blind eye to much, much bigger ones. It is relatively easy on itself and on the world.
Presents its story with consistent heart, infused with a wealth of eccentric characters that ensures the poignancy is perpetually alternated with laughs.
AUDIENCE REVIEWS FOR THE WAY, WAY BACK
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Oct 05, 2016I 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 LSUPER REVIEWER
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Oct 05, 2014Not 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 PSUPER REVIEWER
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May 13, 2014A 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 VSUPER REVIEWER
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May 07, 2014The 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.Spencer SSUPER REVIEWER
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