Review: ‘The Way Way Back’ is funny, poignant and very relatable

Posted on August 2, 2013

Last year we had the excellent coming-of-age tale “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and now we have “The Way Way Back,” which like the former film, follows a young teen as he struggles with a changing family dynamic while finding himself in a place where he simply doesn’t seem to fit.

Best known as actors, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash wrote the aforementioned “The Descendants,” which they follow up here while also making their directorial debut.

“The Way Way Back” is one of those stories which can make you smile and laugh one moment and stop and think the next. The directing isn’t the most polished, but the story and the exceptional ensemble cast shine through to make this one you will remember long after you leave the theater. Although the ending may not be exactly what people might expect, it is one that fits the film which precedes it.

The movie is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language, some sexual content and brief drug material.

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