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

I really did not know much about the movie The Way, Way Back before I went and previewed it. I just knew that it had Steve Carell and Allison Janney in it. I love both of these actors so that was really my main reason for seeing it. After seeing the movie, I was very surprised by its fun and sweet story.

The movie’s best moments are when Duncan (a great performance by Liam James) is interacting with Owen (Sam Rockwell), the manager of the local Water Wizz water park, and the park’s employees. For me, the character of Owen was the best part of the film. Many of his lines were so funny! His character was, to me, the glue of the film and really helped the main character, Duncan, find his purpose in the world. Another highlight of the movie was Allison Janney as the crazy neighbor Betty. She was an absolute riot.

I really enjoyed The Way, Way Back for its cute story about growing up, realizing your worth, and being who you are.