One Sentence: I want to own a water park.
Rataed: PG-13
After Credits Scene: No
Nudity: None
It is hard to write a review on The Way Way Back, or some other “official selection” film festival movie that is just fine, but isn’t amazing. How many ways can you say that a movie is fine, and that I think it is good enough to see. The decision to not write a full synopsis of the movie like most critics do is part of the problem. If I don’t tell you what happened, step by step and critique single points in the movie how am I ever going to fill 300 words? You see the review is already done, it is fine, it is good enough to see.
I can at least talk about the ensemble and that it was wonderful. A huge cast of wonderful actors taking part in this independent comedy. Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney were especially wonderful. The new kid Liam James could hold his own and portrayed awkward fairly well. Everyone else filled in very well, but the movie felt short and the characters under utilized. It felt like there could of been a little bit more, why not use this wonderful cast you had a little bit more.
By the end of the movie you are satisfied, and given the ending you expected. A little bit of sorrow, a little bit of happiness, and a lot of predictable results. It is a funny, heartfelt ride to get The Way Way Back, but you are never surprised to get to the end. That is why I wrote in the beginning, it is fine, it is good enough to see. There is nothing really surprising in this review either. You can watch it on a Sunday afternoon on HBO just as well as you can see it in the theater.
