When I was growing up, my parents often dropped my sisters and I off at Six Flags Over Georgia. We also piled in the car with our grandparents and headed to Florida – every. single. summer. This is what was familiar, something we knew and expected come summertime. That’s what summertime is about for kids. Familiarity, connections, time off from their regular routine. As an adult, looking back at the 18 summers I spent with my family means a lot. That is why the new film, The Way Way Back, which I screened prior to its release on July 5th, had a deep meaning for me.
If you’re looking for a film to take you back in time to relive a summer of your youth, as this one did for me, you need to see this new film by the brilliant Jim Rash (Community, the Oscar-winning script for Alexander Payne’s The Descendants) and his writing and directing partner Nat Faxon. The water park is the perfect oz for the main teenaged character in the film and it took me back to a time long gone. That water park was my Six Flags, where my sisters and I discovered things about the world and ourselves every year in those few months of summer. That ride to their summer house in this emotional but funny film was my ride to Florida with family, where pleasant and not so pleasant things were said out loud and feelings were kept inside to save others from feeling badly.
The Way Way Back is coming to theaters on July 5th. Fox Searchlight paid 10 million dollars for this film after it debuted at Sundance. It’s an homage to Ordinary People meets Meatballs - two important films from my childhood. Sam Rockwell, at a recent press conference in NYC recently said that he has no apologies for impersonating Bill Murray’s crazy camp counselor. ”There are a lot of prototypes. There’s a little Walter Matthau from Bad News Bears and Richard Pryor in Bustin’ Loose, but Bill Murray was definitely my inspiration. The adult that talks to kids as if they’re adults, you know, is always fun.” This film may take you back to not only feelings you experienced growing up but to the films you grew up with and to the actors you once loved.
The film is about 14-year-old, Duncan (played by Liam James), who is spending the summer with his divorced mother (Toni Colette), along with her boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his teenage daughter (Zoe Levin), in a vacation home. Duncan isn’t happy. Trent (Steve Carell), his mom’s boyfriend is someone he doesn’t like or even trust (the film’s opening scene sets up this relationship when Carell’s character cruelly asks him how he rates himself on a scale of 1-10 and calls him a 3) and he longs to be elsewhere. His mom is acting like a teenager and isn’t giving him the time of day and he’s busy sulking over the fact that he wishes he were with his dad. Living next door is Betty (Allison Janney), another divorcee whose husband left her for a man. She’s a bit of a drunkard, and her daughter, Susanna, played by AnnaSophia Robb, is also lost as a result of the divorce. Duncan and Susanna’s bond is inevitable, and perhaps somewhat predictable, but when Duncan rides his bike over to Water Wizz, the town’s water-slide park, everything changes. He starts to spend every day there as an employee (a bonafide “floater”) after being hired by Owen, played by the perfect Sam Rockwell, and his life changes dramatically. As the dysfunction between his mom and her boyfriend takes a dive, his life picks up. When he inherits the name “Pop n Lock” after managing to break a group of kids up watching rap dancers by managing to display his own dance moves, his entire persona changes. He goes from being the ultimate moper (I don’t think we see him smile for the first half of the movie) to Mr. Popular at work, however shielding his life at the water park from his mom and boyfriend. As the movie goes on, we watch him evolve. As the summer goes by, his confidence grows, much to the thanks of this quirky man, Owen.
Duncan’s path crosses with Owen for a reason. He may not realize the impact until later in life, but we certainly feel the impact by the end of the film. He learns more than a thing or two about life in this one single summer, and he’s even able to teach his mom a major lesson, too.
All the actors seem to have eased into their roles easily, even the newbies. James (this is first major role in a film) is Duncan. Carell is brilliant as evil Trent, going completely against character. Colette plays Pam with skill. As a mom in real life, her eyes say it all as she copes with her moping son and his negative feelings about her boyfriend. From the first moment we set eyes on Rockwell as Owen, we sense familiarity and know that he is going to somehow help Duncan during this tough time of his life. Janney, Robb, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry and all the rest of the supportive cast create a cohesive group that tells a story you want to see and hear. I promise.
That’s my review, now on to some other business. Last week I went to a press conference in NYC and it was interesting to hear from the writers and actors talk about their experience making the movie. Here are some of the highlights:
On how this film came together and how the actors were cast:
Sam Rash (writer and actor in film): It was a dream cast. We were looking for actors we admired as wonderful talent and also as good people. We wrote Allison Janney’s character with her mind. With Trent, we wanted to go against type. Steve came to mind because of his ability to elevate Trent – rather than demonizing him creating a tragic character. Sam came to mind for understanding what Bill Murray was to us. Sam mentioned him on the phone before we even said anything. We were all just on the same page right away.
Nat Faxon (writer and actor in film): All these incredible people understand and appreciate ensemble type films. Jim and I come from the Groundlings, which has a collaborative spirit and we bring that to our films. It takes a certain type to understand and jump in.
On how the actors worked together:
Liam James: We had a lot of fun together. As soon as I arrived on the set a few days before shooting started, we all sat down together and they made me comfortable with their sense of humor. Sam showed me his boxing moves, and that was one way we kept loose between scenes.
Sam: Rockwell: It was just so easy, there was immediate chemistry between all of us. We were sort of on the same page. We knew what it needed to be. It was instinctive, very free feeling on this movie.
On how the actresses got into the heads and hearts of their characters going through a tough time:
Toni Collette: For me, I start with this wonderful material that’s always in the script. When it’s so clear, so rich, so complex and enjoyable. I’m not one of those people that draws on previous experiences or anything that blatant. Everyone was so open and that atmosphere created an open vibe and created something very special that evolved.
Allison Janney: Parties. I can relate to Betty’s fun side. The scene that I throw down and party….But seriously, I can relate to the fact that she’s in a lot of pain. She’s not a one-dimensional character and it was very interesting to play her. A little Betty goes a long way.
On their most turbulent summers or summers of change:
Sam: I had summer with adults. I was in the theater, so my summers weren’t very conventional.
AnnaSophia Robb: I started acting when I was 9. Last summer was probably my most unconventional summer, filming this movie. I had just graduated high school and got this movie.
Colette: Australia is just one big beach. We kind of stick to the perimeter. It’s all very oceanic, salty, with feelings of freedom. Summer is my favorite time of year. I absolutely come to life and love it. There was one holiday that wasn’t planned at all. I had a fight with my parents on boxing day, and they went to see my Aunt Betty in the city. I rang a friend who was going on a road trip with friends from University and there was a space in her car. I shoved clothes in a duffel bag, grabbed my guitar and went away with my friend not knowing where I’d end up. I slept on beaches, got kicked off beaches by rangers. I ended up in a boat festival and had the time of my bloody life.
Faxon: I spent my summers on Nantucket Island with a lot of horrible summer jobs. There were a lot of things we tried to inspire in this film. Going to a place year after year, so much happens that you’re not there in the nine months: school or jobs and then you come back to this place and you literally open your summer house and nothing has changed. I have a lot of fond memories growing up like that.
Rash: One of my summers happened there (in the film), but let’s not count that.
On the mother-son connection:
Colette: There’s so much going on. I thought, ‘Oh my god, the audience is going to find her so frustrating, so passive. But she knows the truth. She is lying to herself. She is trying to provide something for her son with the wrong person. There is a lot of wheels turning without so much being expressed for a very long time. I’d like to do a silent movie! There is so much you can express without words so I kind of enjoyed it.
James: Everyone was talking about this transformation. We shot the film out of sync so when I saw the film at Sundance, I was happy to see how it all came together. I didn’t feel frustrated with Duncan but it’s almost painful to watch how awkward he is.
How Janney played her first scene (where she drunkenly greets everyone at the summer house) and how she acted with her youngest son in the film:
Janney: I’m thrilled to do a scene like that. It’s like being in pinball machine. I just relish taking over a scene like that and be the one spinning it all over the place. I couldn’t wait to do it.
When Jim and Nat were directing me with my son, they said to act like an old, married couple. I wanted to make sure that was balanced with the enormous amount of love I had for him.
Rash: That scene was THE day. Allison was really in control.
About writing the script:
Rash: Nat and I have always been drawn to the balance between comedy and drama, finding the comedy in real life moments.
Faxon: We knew the script was done because Lewis’ (played by Rash) character kept getting bigger and bigger. The script stayed true to what it was (over 8 years).
On working with Steve Carell (who was not present at the press conference):
Janney: This was my first time working with him and I adore him. I loved him to watch him laugh when they said “CUT!” I would just slump out of my chair and go from Betty to Zero. There was one late night where we were preparing for a scene. The title of the scene was “The Adults Stumble into the Dunes”. Being a method actress, Steve, Toni and I grabbed some champagne or punch in the actor’s holding room and we sat around and told stories and they called us to the shoot and we literally stumbled in and we nailed that scene.
Colette: Steve is such a pleasure in every way. Such a gentleman, a truly nice person, and wonderful to work with again.
Rash: We really appreciated Steve’s talking about Trent with us. He agreed that it was a great idea to go against type. It was a wonderful moment to have..with him.
James: The scenes where he was throwing the luggage at me, he was really throwing the luggage at me. In one scene, I had to have this big smile on my face, and he he was off scene and I heard him laugh and it made my smile so genuine and I really thank him for that.
Rockwell: We only had one brief scene. But he’s so great in the movie. We’re both red herrings for the movie. I usually playing the creepy guy, and he plays the nice guy. We switched roles and it’s a great red herring for the audience.
Check out the film’s trailer and head to a local theater to see it on July 5th:
For more info, please visit the following:
Disclosure: I attended an early screening and press conference with the cast, both hosted by Fox Searchlight. Please note that all opinions are my own.
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