Way back in the shallow end
Coming-of-age drama never feels fully engaged
You know why The Graduate is a classic? Because it was honest: Benjamin was a selfish jerk. A pure manifestation of generational angst and insecurity in the face of the looming, plastic, capitalist world of grown-ups, Benjamin sat at the bottom of his parents’ pool as a gesture of resistance.
He wanted to revert to the innocent state of the watery womb, where voices are mumbles and intention is a pure abstract, instead of engaging with his perceived responsibilities in the adult world.
Yet, where Benjamin was seduced by his adult destiny all the same, thanks to the timeless character of Mrs. Robinson, the young man at the heart of Jim Rash and Nat Faxon’s coming-ofage story is actually eager to grow up.
There’s only one problem: Duncan is surrounded by 40-year-old babies.
Whether it’s his mom’s new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell), the divorced dad who looks at Duncan like a three-legged dog, the boozy next-door neighbour in mom jeans (Allison Janney), or the friendly couple with the fancy boat and roving eyes (Amanda Peet and Rob Corddry), just about every adult in Duncan’s summer circle is immature and self-absorbed.
When Benjamin sat at the bottom of the pool, we could tell he wanted to scream obscenities at the top of his lungs. Duncan, who doesn’t even get his scene below the waterline despite the poster’s promise, doesn’t seem smart enough to conjure an opinion of any kind.
With such a dull hero, The Way, Way Back never musters any sense of urgency — probably the most critical ingredient in any coming-ofage story because urgency defines the constant drama of the teen years — and without it, the whole thing feels flaccid and unengaged.
More urgently, it never feels honest, ensuring The Way, Way Back remains stuck in the shallow end with all the other weak swimmers and old waders looking to escape the heat with a watery dip.