Blu-ray Review: Sweet, Sentimental ‘The Way, Way Back’

CHICAGO – “The Way, Way Back” made a solid $21 million domestically but I kind of expected it to be an even bigger hit when I saw it back in January at the Sundance Film Festival. I saw several dozen films at this year’s fest and nothing produced a response like Nat Faxon & Jim Rash’s sweet, sentimental comedy. The audience I saw it with LOVED it. And now that it’s on Blu-ray and DVD, I expect it to reach an even bigger audience through word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s a fun, clever movie with some great performances, including a supporting turn by Sam Rockwell that stands with the best of the year.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

“The Way, Way Back” doesn’t do anything particularly new. It’s a classic coming-of-age story in the vein of “The Sure Thing” and “Adventureland.” It’s the way the story is told, with a very entertaining supporting cast and tender insight about the way children can be more mature than the adults in their lives, that elevates the film. It’s not a film that I expect to top anyone’s best of 2013 list and yet I have a tough time believing there’s anyone who could muster much hatred for the film either. It’s the definition of likable. And we could use more movies like it.

The Way, Way Back was released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 22, 2013
Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis:
Dive into this “smart, imaginative, first-rate comedy” (Karen Durbin, Elle) featuring an all-star comedic cast, including Steve Carell, Maya Rudolph, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Sam Rockwell, and Amanda Peet!

While 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) is being dragged on a family trip with his mom (Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend (Carell), he finds a gregarious friend (Rockwell) at a local water park. The two form a powerful bond as Duncan learns to swim through the challenges of life, love, family and friendship, resulting in a vacation he’ll never forget.

Special Features:
o More Laughs With The Hilarious Cast & Filmmakers In The Making Of The Way, Way Back
o Deleted Scenes
o Behind The Scenes Featurettes: Tour Of The Water Park, The Filmmakers: o Jim And Nat, Ensemble Featurette

[17]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [18] Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [17]