

Trent then attempts to bypass Owen in order to bring Duncan back to the car, but Owen blocks him and Trent retreats. Owen tells Pam of Duncan’s good nature, and introduces himself to Trent as "a good friend of the three". After finally introducing Owen to his mother, Duncan says goodbye to everyone at the park. He takes Owen to the Devil's Peak slide, and Duncan becomes the first person to ever pass someone in the water slide while the rest of the park watches. Duncan tells Owen and the other employees that he has to leave and tells Owen to follow him. When Trent stops for gas on their way out of town, Duncan jumps out of the station wagon and runs to Water Wizz, followed by his mother, then Trent and Steph. Betty and her kids arrive to say their goodbyes. When Duncan returns to the beach house, Pam tells him they are leaving with Trent and Steph. He advises Duncan to disregard Trent's criticisms and go his own way. Owen sympathizes with Duncan, recalling his upbringing where he was forced to abide to strict rules and patterns. When Owen confronts him, Duncan opens up about his relationship with Trent and how the water park is the only place where he feels happy and accepted. Accompanied by Peter, Duncan sneaks away to Water Wizz where Owen is throwing a going-away party for Lewis.Īfter spending all night with his friends at Water Wizz, Duncan is still at the park the next morning, refusing to leave. Duncan attempts to kiss Susanna, but she moves away, which makes him become even more upset. Susanna follows him and comforts Duncan out on the beach. Trent interjects, and Duncan insults and shoves him Trent indignantly tells Duncan his divorced father does not want him. Later, Duncan confronts Pam in front of friends and neighbors and tells her to face up to Trent's affair and get rid of him. Pam begins to suspect Trent and Joan are having an affair, but Trent convinces her nothing is going on. Later that night, Duncan witnesses Trent and Joan kissing by the side of the house, but does not reveal what he saw. At a Fourth of July cookout, Susanna sees that he is upset about this and invites him to go hunting for ghost crabs with her and Peter, where she talks about her absent father and helps Duncan open up. Outside the park, Duncan is continually neglected by his mother, Pam, who indulges in drinking, staying out at night, and smoking marijuana with other adult vacationers. Owen hires Duncan for odd jobs at Water Wizz.

Several youths at the water park speak reverently of a legendary pass in the tube slide, wondering how it could have been done. Duncan meets the park's colorful, rag-tag group of employees: Caitlin, Lewis, and Roddy. He meets Owen, who is playing Pac-Man, and eventually Owen takes Duncan under his wing and shows him around the park. At a pizza restaurant, he runs into the staff of Water Wizz, the local water park. Later that evening, Duncan and Susanna have an awkward conversation from their adjacent porches.ĭuncan discovers a small girl's bicycle in the garage of the beach house and uses it to begin exploring the town. They arrive at the beach house and are greeted by the neighbors: the gregarious, hard-drinking Betty, her children Susanna and Peter, and married couple Kip and Joan. On the way to the beach house, Trent asks Duncan to rate himself on a scale of one to ten Duncan rates himself a six while Trent tells him he thinks Duncan is a three. Steph follows suit in attitude towards him and is spoiled by Trent. Trent emotionally belittles Duncan, frequently making comments and gestures that are condescending and rude to him. Introverted 14-year-old Duncan from Albany, New York, reluctantly goes on summer vacation to a beach house in a small seaside town near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with his mother, Pam her wealthy boyfriend, Trent and Trent's arrogant daughter, Steph. It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, and had a wider release on July 5, 2013, where it received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $26.9 million against its $5 million budget. Filming lasted several months during summer 2012. Eventually, Fox Searchlight Pictures (the same studio which distributed other independent films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Juno) agreed to distribute the film. It also stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, and Maya Rudolph, with Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Faxon, and Rash in supporting roles.įaxon and Rash conceived the film in the early 2000s however, it spent several years in development hell before funding could be secured. It stars Liam James as Duncan, an introverted 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to Wareham, Massachusetts with his mother and her overbearing boyfriend. The Way, Way Back is a 2013 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash in their directorial debuts.
