Movie Breakdown: The Way, Way Back

People are doing traditional-style reviews all over the web, so we decided to try something different.  In each “breakdown” we’ll take a look at what a film’s marketing lead us to believe, how the movie actually played, and then what we learned from it all.  Read on!

The Impression:

A giant kid fights giant monsters.  OK, not really.  This one actually looks to be a charming, summer-set film about a teen coming of age.

The Reality:

You won’t get anything out of The Way, Way Back that every other “coming of age” film hasn’t given you before, but I promise that you’ll walk out of the theater with a smile on your face.  The characters are well developed, the humor is spot on (especially when it comes to Sam Rockwell), and at every turn it gives you another reason to want to pull for Duncan (Liam James) to succeed and slap a damn smile on that sad face of his.  You’d be hard pressed to find a better alternative to the explosions happening on all the other screens at the theater right now.

The Lesson:

Growing up is hard, but it’s at least funny if Sam Rockwell is involved.