THE WAY, WAY BACK (2013) features Sam Rockwell giving a great Bill Murray performance. Its easy to imagine Rockwell stepping into most of Murrays iconic roles, and there are a few parallels here with MEATBALLS (1979). Written and directed by Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, who co-adapted THE DESCENDANTS (2011), the movie boasts a cast a notch above a Canadian summer camp romp, with Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Annasophia Robb joining Liam James, a 14-year-old spending a summer against his will with his mother (Colette) and her controlling boyfriend (Carell, cast against type). The boy befriends Rockwell, the owner of the Water Wizz who gives the kid a job at the park and is forced to grow up a bit himself when he realizes his protégé has no role models. The movie isnt a laugh riot and it doesnt dramatize anything that we havent seen before, but it has an integrity that I rarely see in mainstream films anymore, avoiding jokes or mass entertainment and instead emphasizing character and a sense of place. Set in present day, there isnt a PC or cell phone anywhere; when Robb is introduced, shes reading a book, not texting. Id recommend this for Rockwells presence if nothing else.
Posted on: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 17:11:14 +0000
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