10) The Way Way Back (2013)
The Way Way Back is a fantastic and outrageously under-watched movie. Pitched in a similar tone to that of Little Miss Sunshine (and again featuring Steve Carell and Toni Colette), The Way Way Back show cases some of the very best of indie filmmaking.
The themes of self-discovery, hope, coming of age, friends as family, difficult decisions, and forgiveness are all here, but seldom hackneyed, and they are set amongst a rather lovely collection of colourful characters. Of these, Sam Rockwell is the undisputed star (as he so often is in any of his parts), playing the slightly irresponsible but boyishly charming Owen, the manager of the local water park at which 14 year-old Duncan (Liam James) gets the summer job that is going to rebuild his tattered self-esteem.
Duncan’s real “family” consists of his mother Pam (Collette), her boyfriend Trent and Trent’s daughter, Steph. Trent treats Duncan with a sort of concealed but cleverly persistent derision, belittling him wherever possible, and Pam – although she does not join in – makes little effort to defend or reassure her son. With Owen’s support and encouragement however, Duncan begins to make a life for himself outside of the family unit, at the water park where he is appreciated, loved, and included. This is, of course, until the holiday ends (Trent having been found to be having an affair with one of the neighbours), and Duncan must leave Owen and his newfound niche at the beloved water park behind.
On the morning that they leave the town, Duncan escapes the car (where he is always relegated to the back seat) and runs back to the water park, yelling to Owen that he and his family are going, and that he wants Owen to come with him to the Devil’s Peak water slide so that they can attempt ‘the pass.’
The legendary ‘pass,’ in which one rider manages to pass another while inside the slide is rumoured to be near impossible. As the bewildered Pam runs after her son and reaches the park, she sees Duncan’s picture above an ‘employee of the month’ sign, and realizes that she has neglected her son to the point at which he has an entirely different life.
Owen and Duncan start down the slide, and – in front of the entire watching park – Duncan emerges ahead of Owen, victorious. Duncan introduces Pam to Owen, who describes Duncan as ‘one hell of a kid.” When the irritated Trent comes over to ask if ‘we’re done?”, Owen purposefully stands between Trent and Duncan. Duncan then says his goodbyes to the rest of the staff before hugging Owen with child-like tightness, and thanking him.
Duncan gets back in the car, and as they are driving down the road, Pam climbs over the seats to sit with her son in the back, Trent’s angry protests fading away as they exchange a small smile of apology, and solidarity.
Although The Way Way Back outperformed many of the Oscar nominated movies of the previous year, this ending – and the fact that Duncan achieved ‘the pass’ – is admittedly somewhat predictable. It is also easy to anticipate Duncan’s having to say goodbye to this place of new-found confidence and self-worth, and Owen’s affirming to Duncan’s family that he is a great person. But then, it is only predictable because this is how the events should ideally go.
First-time directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash do a sterling job of encouraging the audience to care about the characters, and the relationship between Duncan and the cool but affectionate Owen is undeniably touching. There are plenty of indie movies that close with melancholy, and gloom. This little film has its own sense of loss, but ultimately, everything is now going to be alright – and that is always a reason to celebrate a movie’s ending.
Also, these two novice directors have managed to make a film in which it is possible to hate Steve Carell. That, surely, deserves an award all of its own.