The Berlin Hot Spot: 8/4/13: THE WAY, WAY BACK REVIEW!

This has been a movie I've wanted to see since the beginning. It looked interesting, had a decent cast, and judging by the trailer, had a nice plot.

So, I went to see it, and here's my review.

Fact Box-About The Way, Way Back
Genre [s]: Drama, Comedy
Running Time: 103 min [1 hr 43 min]
Starring: Liam James, Sam Rockwell, and AnnaSophia Robb
Summary: 14-year-old Duncan and his mother's boyfriend's conflicting battle is put to the test at her boyfriend's beach house. But he also works on finding himself as well.
Rating: PG-13
Release Date [s]: July 26, 2013
Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727388/

Warning: I'll try not to do spoilers, but just in case, skip some parts of this review.

The Way, Way Back is a drama-comedy film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, being their first written and directed film after being actors for years. This story follows a 14-yea

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r-old boy named Duncan [Liam James], as he travels with his mom [Toni Collette], his mom's boyfriend, Trent [Steve Carell], and his mom's boyfriend's daughter, Stephanie [Zoe Levin] to Trent's beach house for the summer. While there, Duncan still is quiet and shy, probably still depressed after his mom's divorce, where he wants to go see Dad, instead of live with the mean jerk, Trent, who he is. He meets the neighbors of the beach house, including Betty [Allison Janney], her children, Peter [River Alexander] and Susana [AnnaSophia Robb], with Kip [Rob Corddry] and Joan [Amanda Peet]. Duncan, a socially awkward kid, finally is able to transform himself and open himself up over the summer, thanks to meeting friends and people, mostly while finding a job in Water Wizz Water Park, meeting Owen [Sam Rockwell]. There Owen and other friends give him a chance to find happiness and freedom, away from that jerk, Trent, his mom, and his "sister."
This film was great, and I could imagine how hard it was to write both comedy and drama into one film, so I like how well that flowed. I also liked the characters, and I think every character was strong in their own way, and you got to know a lot about them. You also start to care about the characters, such as Duncan, who feels sad, quiet, and socially awkward at the beginning, and then ends up opening up and being happy at the end. You start to think Trent is a jerk, because he is one, always insulting and harassing Duncan. It was a funny movie, with jokes throughout, especially for the crew of the Water Wizz Water Park, where Duncan finds a job and meets Owen and friends. There's also good acting, and I think all the actors did a good job playing their roles.
There was nothing really wrong with the film, as much as I could think. I do wish there was more story between Duncan's and Susana's relationship, but I could see how it tied with the movie, and there was also a lot of stuff already happening, and they had to fit it in in a limited amount of time.
Overall, this film is very sweet, funny, and touching. The themes connect with everyone, and the elements seem realistic. I'd give The Way, Way Back.....