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The Way Way Back

Published December 28, 2013

The Way Way Back

Film info

  • Title The Way Way Back
  • Directors Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
  • Year 2013
  • Run time 1hr 43m
  • Genres Comedy, Drama
  • Tagline We've all been there

Dive into this hilarious comedy from the studio that brought you Little Miss Sunshine and Juno! While 14-year-old Duncan is being dragged on a family trip with his mom and her overbearing boyfriend, he befriends the gregarious manager of a local water park. The two form a powerful bond, resulting in a vacation Duncan will never forget!

Live blog

Time Comment
1:57 I don’t think I’d like to rate myself out of ten. Probably somewhere in the minuses.
7:01 This neighbour is absolutely exhausting.
8:08 See you next Tuesday. Genius.
13:20 I quite like a pastime of lying on a car and singing.
21:01 She really IS the worst parent!
23:09 How can you not have got past the first level of Pacman? Even I’ve done that.
24:34 “Yes, we’re inviting ourselves, accept it and move on.”
30:32 Pacman kid may not be the nickname you want to get stuck with.
37:07 He’s awesome.
41:26 “We’ve got to start having faster conversations.”
50:40 I can’t decide if working at a water park is a good or bad job.
57:16 You’ve got to know the crowd. Those kids won’t know Holdin’ Out for a Hero.
1:01:25 Guy is not a fan of fudging the rules! He’s such a Monica!
1:03:33 It’s not fair if your stalker has a better bike than you.
1:06:48 “In other news, this is very awkward for you.”
1:15:38 I don’t like Steve Carell being the bad guy.
1:23:16 “Don’t settle. Not yet.”
1:28:38 Loving the music in this.
1:35:40 They appear to have saved all the lens flare for the credit text!

Thoughts

I hadn’t heard of this film before it appeared as a rental, but a quick view of the trailer made it seem like one of those off-beat ones that is probably good for a viewing. There were a few laughs in the preview, so after the horror of Elysium, we wanted something a bit more… human.

Such a great film. Heart-warming but not in a slushy way, and with some really brilliant, if not-too-realistic characters. The dialogue was smart and snappy, and Sam Rockwell was just fabulous. Apparently we saw him in Seven Psychopaths, but I didn’t even realise that. Here, he definitely turned my head. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 / 5

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