The Way, Way Back (2013)

No secrets are withheld at the upstart of The Way, Way Back. From the opening frame, the title takes on literal form, as we see the film’s protagonist seated glumly in the third row of a station wagon, a symbol of his ostracized state. Duncan (Liam James) is a severely timid 14-year-old with a “life sucks” angst about him. His anxiety is only heightened by the fact that he is about to spend the entire summer at the beach house of his mother’s boyfriend, instead of visiting his father in San Diego.

This excursion comes at a pivotal point in the relationship between Duncan’s mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). On the brink of becoming one family, this trip will test the ability of the couple to work under one roof. Working against Trent is the uncomfortable tension between he and Duncan, impressively instilled by writer-director team Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

Duncan’s stress peaks as he buckles under the pressure of Trent’s scolding. But when Duncan finds respite in his aimless travels on a puny pink bike, he stumbles upon Water Wizz waterpark. Here he meets, Owen, the waterpark manager played with pleasant wit and precise timing by Sam Rockwell. Sensing Duncan’s distress, Owen takes him under his wing and hires him as a gofer at the park. The mentorship that Owen conducts is illustrated with charm.

From left: Roddy (Nat Faxon), Owen (Sam Rockwell), Duncan (Liam James)

The involvement of the waterpark is where the film finds its true momentum. A myriad of comedic acts emerge from the skits played out on the pool deck. Among many of the colorful Water Wizz employees is Caitlin, played with comedic excellence by Maya Rudolph. The endearing chemistry between Rudolph and Rockwell is just one example of the intriguing character interactions that The Way, Way Back has on display.

Worthy of special mentioning is the performance by Steve Carell. In a role hugely deviating from his past work, Carell has shed the skin of his usual characters, like the lovable sad sacks of Crazy Stupid Love and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Here, he is equally as convincing, yet wearing the façade of a slimy jerk. The urge to hope for his character’s downfall is one foreign to all moviegoers.

Although the gradual development of Duncan is constructed with mature precision, at times the story’s themes falter into bland and cheap territory. Connections are drawn without great care between Duncan and Owen, hinting the moments with a lifeless feel. The coming-of-age dynamic at work reads predictably, subduing the potential of the film’s messages to be absorbed.

Nonetheless, there is a subtle strength exuded from the many subplots in The Way, Way Back. Duncan’s maturity is a catalyst for the morphing relationship with his mother. Aware of his mother’s distrust for Trent, Duncan shows shades of a man through his will to stand up for those close to him. The irony of this film churns pleasantly at the finale. Ultimately, the Water Wizz staff, adult misfits in the eyes of society, is the source of Duncan’s direction. 

Grade: Flat 6

Gravity (2013)

For some, the natural allure of moviegoing is the escapist prospect of being transported into another reality. This stimulating sensation is most enjoyable when it results from entering a truly unknown place, one that inverts our individual perceptions of existence. Especially in the last decades, with visual effects from movies like Avatar or Inception, the creation of an eerily authentic world is now a familiar phenomenon. This year, director Alfonso Cuarón has raised the bar.

Rare has a film captured a more sophisticated and awe-inspiring visual presentation than the aesthetics on display in Gravity. Dubbed an “astro-thriller” by the media, Gravity’s story unfolds entirely outside the realm of our atmosphere, spare 1 or 2 minutes. As space shuttle Explorer sits suspended in the vacuum of space, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), a witty veteran spacewalker on his last mission before retirement, hums around the shuttle, propelled by his jet pack. Kowalski is heading a mission to make repairs on the shuttle, overseeing the work of Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a medical engineer on her rookie mission. Stone is uneasy from the beginning, foreboding the ensuing drama. Initiated from a self-destructed Russian satellite, a cloud of debris hurtling through space towards the Explorer sets the narrative in motion.

Ironically, it is the terrific chaos caused by the debris’ destructive power that makes for the most beautiful segments of Gravity. Unlike the explosions from your typical Hollywood blockbuster, carnage from shuttle decimations proceeds soundlessly. The silence peppered throughout Gravity is uncomfortably broken only by the heaving breaths of Stone, one of film’s many stress-inducing mechanisms. Cuarón expertly interjects this mute terror amid moments devoted to the vast openness of space, making the peril of Stone and Kowalski appear meaningless in the scope of the universe.

The sheer visual feat of Gravity does not stand alone. Inside Cuarón’s production lies a compelling narrative driven by Stone. Early on it becomes known that Stone, having lost a daughter, and Kowalski, a divorcee, endure inner turmoil. With their vulnerability exposed, philosophical tone seeps through screen as the camera tracks the duo with glides and twirls. As the astronauts peer down on Earth, their isolation and revelation of their minuscule value claws at their will to survive. In the culmination, the tale becomes just as much about the personal transformation of Stone as it is about Cuarón’s visual prowess. The balance achieved between the two is an accomplishment that makes Gravity all the more majestic.

Gravity arrives during an age when streaming movies and TV shows, whether illegally or not, is making a noticeable dent in the box office success of films. Certainly, waiting to view the latest Adam Sandler rom-com until it hits Netflix is a worthy way to spend your time. Nonetheless, in the case of Gravity, where intergalactic satellite collisions recklessly spew in your face through 3D goggles, the necessity for a silver screen is there. If your thirst for sci-fi thrillers must be quenched, visit Cuarón’s Gravity and submit yourself to a truly cinematic experience.

Grade: Light 8