"The Way, Way Back" review

Getting your feet wet

Growth is almost always a painful process, so why are coming-of-age films so  attractive?  Even the good ones often leave a residue of sadness.  There are many good moments from my youth, but the bad ones loom larger because that's when the growing happened.  Adversity requires tough decisions, and the lessons learned stay with us forever.  "The Way, Way Back" is a bittersweet tale of one boy's summer vacation where he takes his first difficult steps into the adult world.  While the story is not original, the sharp dialogue, eccentric characters and breezy pace make for a fun yet familiar frolic.

Duncan doesn't like his new stepfather Trent, and the feeling is mutual.  For his mother's sake, Duncan grimly accepts the situation, though he feels doomed to spend a miserable summer with his family in Trent's house by the shore.  Once they arrive, though the beach and the days are beautiful, Duncan steadfastly broods over his fate.  Susanna, a neighbors' daughter, senses Duncan's alienation and chats him up.  They discover that they share similar family backgrounds as both are children living with divorced single parents.  Despite this flirtation, Duncan is still not ready to come out of his shell, and remains hunched over in a state of awkward withdrawal.

Duncan's emergence is instigated by his friendship with Owen, the slacker manager of a local water park who offers Duncan a job.  While Owen's arrested adolescence initially feels familiar and safe, Duncan slowly realizes that Owen is not a good role model.  Because Owen never takes anything seriously, he avoids making those tough decisions that change a person for the better.  Duncan's job at the water park gives him a sense of responsibility, and that knowledge compels him to act, especially when he discovers Trent's dirty secret.

Being an adult is complicated and it's hard to stand up for yourself, but Duncan finally finds the courage to blurt out the truth about his stepfather because no one else will.  Duncan cannot fathom why his mother would stay with a man like Trent because Duncan is still too young to understand the kinds of compromises adults make.  Even his mother isn't sure that she's doing the right thing.  The future remains uncertain for Duncan's family, but in the end his mother shows him that she is still sure about her love for her son.