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Created Jul 30, 2013 09:28PM PST • Edited Jul 30, 2013 09:29PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   2013 is shaping up to be a great year for movies and The Way, Way back is a fine addition to the portfolio of escapism. The script is rich with great characters and the actors do an excellent job of drawing out if in exaggeration the salient features to deliver a memorable coming of age story. And of course, I wish I was Owen and married to Betty.

4. Acting

   Very Good 3.5

   I left the theatre wishing I had found the path that would have me running the Water Wizz and married to a boozing broad like Betty (Allison Janney). Hollywood’s habit of exaggerating the character left me with disappointment with Duncan (Liam James) although I am prepared to admit with future evidence that I missed his talents portraying a pathetic, droopy ass teenager if he turns in an effort one hundred eighty degrees from his effort as Duncan. Otherwise, the rest of the cast turns in a remarkable performance developing depth and nuance to characters that we have seen before.

5. Male Stars Very Good 3.5

   So Sam Rockwell is in the phone book now. Whether its the 1970’s, 1980’s or 1990’s, he portrayed the best effort in manhood mentor we have seen in a while, and given the status of his protegee, there was nowhere to go but up. I loved his rich commentary with all the characters and one more effort like this and he deserves a role opposite of Jennifer Lawrence. The player to be named later is young Liam James because either he is a pathetic 14 year old or he plays one perfectly in a movie, a performance not seen since Dustin Hoffman convinced me he was autistic. That’s Hollywood, and if Liam goes on to win a round of celebrity Jeopardy then we may hear “and the OSCAR goes to Liam James” sooner than I thought leaving the theatre.

6. Female Stars Very Good 3.5

   Sorry I prefer middle age women, and there were two in this movie. Toni Collette and Allison Janney just make me want to drink with them, and certainly Allison verifies the truest statement of marriage yet uttered in the 21st century, “a lucky man gets married once to five different women”. See You Next Tuesday, I just lessons late in life. Betty makes for a lucky man, and while none of us guys would prefer to be married to a sad sack like Toni’s Pam, she turns in a strong performance convincing us to be empathetic for her.

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

   On the other hand, we get a few glimpses of talent in the supporting roles by a female. I hope Maya Rudolph always has a job on the working end of a camera. It seems more American than ever to reward consistency in effort and product, and Maya has done that since her days as a Gemini Twin. But the blonde next door many have not been played as well as AnnaSophia Robb did as Susanna in quite some time. Her scene with Duncan after the confrontation with Trent is a clear indication that she has range. Meanwhile, it is hard to believe that Amanda Peet is the other woman as Joan.

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

   I am sorry, I can now say that I will never be a Steve Carell (Trent) fan, not because of his voting preferences or his appearance. He just never seems to be the best man for the many roles he plays. There is always someone better it seems and now we can say there are better unfaithful dirtballs. Fortunately, all the other males roles were little more than stand-ins and they played that role well them with the possible notable exception of Jim Rash as Lewis the germaphobe and lifer in the unvisited booth. If I remember his character’s name tomorrow then, yes, he did a fine job.

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    The use of the camera was very good with each of the memorable scenes, i.e., the water slides, the opening scene with the use of the mirror, and the crab expedition with Duncan and Susanna, all delivering you a nose full of water, hurt feelings and sand between your toes, respectively.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Good 3.0

13. Music Very Good 3.5

    The use of INXS was perfect

14. Visuals Great 4.0

    The pink girls bike for Duncan was an excellent choice, and life preserver portrayal was likewise.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Tame 1.5

17. Sex Innocent 1.0

18. Violence Gentle 1.5

19. Rudeness Salty 2.1

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    A theme park on the east coast is as natural as anything gets after World War II.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0