'Way, Way Back' a summery delight

There are many films bubbling under the surface of “The Way, Way Back,” the directorial debut of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the Oscar winning screen-writing pair behind 2011’s “The Descendants.” The impeccably cast ensemble is reminiscent of “Little Miss Sunshine,” which helps with the inclusion of Sunshine alums Steve Carrell — relishing in the bad guy role — and Toni Collette. The summery coming-of-age atmosphere suggests this year’s lovely “The Kings of Summer” or 2011’s superb “Super 8,” both films in which teenage boys reveled in being teenage boys.

But while Faxon and Rash’s first film is evocative of many formulas and structures that came before it, “The Way, Way Back” is totally it’s own exceptional creature, full to the brim with laughs, tears and a vibrant cast of intricately fleshed out characters.   

We begin with 14-year old Duncan (Liam James) who is accompanying his single mother (Collette), her boyfriend Trent (Carrell) and his daughter on vacation to Trent’s summerhouse. Trent bullies Duncan, asking him on a scale from one to ten what he thinks he is. Suffice it to say, Trent’s ranking of Duncan is less than encouraging.

We’re gradually introduced to supporting characters, like Allison Janney’s boozy but amiable Betty and AnnaSophia Robb as her daughter Susanna. Janney nails it like she always does and Robb continues to be a balanced and stirring young talent, never over-selling her performance.

Lonely and with nowhere to turn, Duncan ends up at Water Wizz Water Park, where he meets and befriends the manager, Owen, and other various park workers. Here the film really hits its stride, and James really comes into his own, just as his character does. Here he finds a community and, more importantly, the confidence he lacks.

It’s these youthful human moments, where Duncan break-dances for crowds or ogles the young female figures of the water park, that drive “The Way, Way Back.”

But that isn’t to say the more mature actors in the film don’t get their due. Toni Collette, ever the acting goddess, provides the emotional glue as a single mother carrying a burden she doesn’t know how to handle. Similarly, Sam Rockwell brings a mature wit to Owen that lesser actors would have forgone for broader comedy. His laid-back delivery convey a performance worthy of awards attention later in the year.

“The Way, Way Back” has a tried and true formula, and it isn’t an all-together too surprising or ground-breaking piece of cinema. Instead, Faxon and Rash have structured a lovely little summer comedy that makes you excited for their work that’s yet to come.