Cert 12A
103 mins
BBFC advice: Contains one use of strong language and moderate sex and drug references
Choices, choices. Which movie should we choose after a meal to celebrate Mrs W's birthday was our Tuesday night poser.
Well, we wolfed down our dessert and, with five minutes to spare, grabbed a couple of tickets for Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's much acclaimed comedy drama.
But while we were geared up for quirkiness along the lines of Little Miss Sunshine what we saw was offbeat, sure enough, but didn't make the most of its high-quality cast.
Toni Collette, for example, is rather wasted in her role as a besotted but ill-at-ease single parent, invited by her latest boyfriend (Steve Carell) to his beach house.
Taken with them are his arrogant teenage daughter (Zoe Levin) and her awkward and super-nerdy son (Liam James).
The movie is built around James's character Duncan who loathes her mum's fella and the prospect of spending time with him.
But the summer is saved when he makes friends with a water park manager (Sam Rockwell) and the misfits who work with him and when he finds a soulmate in Annamaria Robb.
Rockwell gives a zesty, carefree performance which saves The Way Way Back from drifting into the turgid.
The problem is that he (and Allison Janney, who plays Carell's next-door neighbour) have all of the best lines so talents such as Collette, Carell, Rob Corddry and Maya Rudolph are wasted.
Indeed, while there is an occasional light moment, the underlying theme is just too miserable to enjoy on a night when we were meant to be celebrating.
I was expecting a light topping to the evening but, while it had its moments, The Way Way Back failed to provide it.
Laughs: three
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 5.5/10