I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The acting in this movie is really good.

I originally reviewed this picture in August 2013 but the review disappeared. I really liked this movie even though it was aimed at a much younger audience then yours truly. It is a nice little slice of life and coming of age picture that many early teenagers can identify with. Duncan, the 14 year old main character, has to spend his summer at a beach community with his less then supportive mom and her not so nice boyfriend. It is the boyfriends' beach house and he has been going there for years so has a large group of folks for Duncan and his mom to get approved by. The teenage b*%ch girls on the beach are just the beginning for Duncan and he very soon finds he has no friends there, including his mom who does not want to loose her chance with the boyfriend so does not stick up for Duncan in any way. Duncan soon meets and is befriended by the staff at the water park and he soon works his days there without his mothers knowledge. The water park manager is an offbeat character who is the one supportive person in Duncan's life. Duncan soon learns to stand up for himself and has a blast along the way. Stand-outs in this movie are Steve Carell in his first role as a bad guy, Allison Janney as the man-chasing, heavy-drinking neighbour and Sam Rockwell as the water park manager. Liam James as Duncan is one to watch as this young man will go far.

since i am a 49 year old person,but feel ..kind of young,i really enjoyed this movie.although you 've basically have seen all this before,the troubled shy kid ,the cool ..mentor,the adults problems.another example if you make something with good taste you have a winner.of course it helps if you have an outstanding cast ,like Toni and Sam and ..dick carell ha ha.the kids also played great.it's all about u find a special situation,a place,people, which you belong to.i think everybody craves for such whether young or old ,any living thing.very warm movie.hey ,in the end ,i,and the rest of the planet, like to think the two went back . tell me it is so.THAT was the power magic of this movie.GREAT ,JUST GREAT 11111 OOOOPS SORRY !!!!!!!! HAHAHAHA

This was a likable enough coming of age dramedy. I didn't know anything about it going in but based on the cast attached I figured it was worth a watch. The story follows an introverted teen named Duncan who is forced to go to his mothers boyfriends beach house for the summer. Toni Collette plays the Mom here, a weak sort of character and Steve Carell is the (surprisingly) a$$hole boyfriend -just a horrible person. Anyways, while the parents party the summer away with (Allison Janney, Amanda Peet & Rob Corddry) awkward Duncan makes friends with (Sam Rockwell) and stumbles into a job at a local water park where he sort of comes into his own.There wasn't anything really new here in terms of a ground-breaking story and it felt uneven as a whole because while parts of the story were very much on the drama end of things other story lines went into the corny side of funny. I definitely felt Duncan's pain though, as he's stuck in this place with these horrible people.One aspect that I found a bit weird was that the kids in this beach resort town are basically allowed to run amuck while the parents behave like its spring break for adults, getting drunk and partying all day and night, doing drugs on a daily basis. Duncan actually works his full time job at the water park without his mom noticing.All in an average sort of movie, likable enough and filled with great performances. 1/3/16

Great movie, funny, charming, etc. You can read the other reviews for adjectives I couldn't come up with. I just wanted to focus on the performances (in particular that of Sam Rockwell) to give you a taste of what's in store.As my title suggests, in the Behind the Scenes feature, Sam Rockwell confesses that he watched Bill Murray in Meatballs eleven times to help develop the fast-yammering, charmingly-sarcastic, lovable slob "Owen" whom he plays in this film. Rockwell also mentions other iconic 80s influences like Michael Keaton (I'm assuming "Beetlejuice"), and although he didn't say it, I would throw in the late, great Robin Williams ("Good Morning Vietnam"). What I'm trying to say is that Rockwell's performance in "The Way, Way Back" is a HILARIOUS homage to those characteristic comedy leads you may have grown up with if you're between the ages of 30 and 50. Heck, even if not, it's never too late to get acquainted."Owen" is the sort of kind-hearted yet darkly witty character who walks around mumbling hilarious zingers to himself almost as if he's alone in a psych ward. That is, until he snaps out of it and says (to his unappreciative, deadpan co star) something like, "WOW, do you even get comedy?" or "Come on, that was some of my best material!" The result is a true Rockwell original: a character who's a weird blend of Bill Murray and maybe Rain Man ("Kmart sucks"). This movie is well worth watching for its story alone, but Rockwell is what gives it that extra little push over the cliff.Playing lesser roles but just as fun to watch are Owen's band of misfit coworkers at "Water Wizz" (ya gotta love that hilarious name which, oddly enough, is the REAL name of the water park where this was filmed). There's Maya Rudolph who plays Owen's keeper, or the only real "adult" at the water park. There's writer/director Nat Faxon playing "Roddy", a harmless pervert who operates the water slide. And there's the other writer/director Jim Rash playing "Lewis" in his funniest role since he played "Andrew" on Reno 911 (yes that was him, the weird pervert who used to call the sheriff's department for such outrageous crimes as a prostitute getting peach Schnapps on his man parts).Thus, without even getting into the story, the stage is set with some of the weirdest personalities you can imagine. The story, as you've probably figured out by the IMDb summary, is about "Duncan", a 14-year-old boy who is subjected to an excruciating summer at the home of his mother's new boyfriend (played by The Office's Steve Carell, but in a role that makes you want to call child services on him). Duncan, suffering from a severe case of introversion, if not a terminal case of uncool, wanders into Water Wizz one afternoon, and the fun begins. What's great about Liam James' portrayal of Duncan is that, unlike a lot of introverted coming-of-age characters who are actually somewhat in control, Liam conveys a sense of absolute psychological spaghetti. What I mean is that this kid seems to be just 1 trauma away from growing up to be a serial killer. That gives the story much more meaning when you realize that this poor kid, thanks to the absolute failure of all adults in his life, is desperately in need of rescuing.I also have to add major comedy points to Allison Janney who plays the mai-tai swilling next door neighbor in tight pants (think Peg Bundy). In addition to putting on the best Boston accent (she's actually from Ohio), her rapid fire, largely improvised wit is an absolute treat to watch. It should be noted that in an interview Allison admits that her character's mannerisms as well as a lot of priceless lines came from some of her real life friends. So yes, I guess people like that really exist.Whether you're looking for a coming of age story, a story about dysfunctional families, or just a great comedy, this movie is well worth the price of admission. It may even inspire you to take a trip to Water Wizz to hurl yourself down the Devil's Peak slide (which was given its name for this film and it stuck). Just don't try to pass anyone on the slide, or it may lead to intense depression, self-loathing and a meaningless future as a male prostitute. Watch the movie and you'll get the joke.