Before he absolutely steals the show in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, there’s no better time to hop back into the greater filmography of Sam Rockwell to see what this performer can do. And what better side of his catalog to dive into than the pool of uncomfortable, puberty-age nostalgia to experience Rockwell’s brilliant performance in the underrated coming-of-age dramedy The Way, Way Back? If you haven’t seen this flick before, the present is desperately calling for you to give it a try as Rockwell effortlessly outshines everyone on camera — including Steve Carell.
Sam Rockwell Shines as Owen in ‘The Way, Way Back’
There’s little doubt that Rockwell is one of the most unsung movie stars of our time. Frankly, he is brilliant in just about every picture he appears in, from smaller parts, as in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Jojo Rabbit, to leading roles like Moon and The Best of Enemies. There are few performers so often overlooked and yet so incredibly versatile in both comedy and drama that the mere mention of their name recalls plenty of memorable roles to mind, even if you (at first) couldn’t remember his name. But if you’re looking for a film that accentuates his comedic flavor and his dramatic prowess simultaneously (as all great Rockwell roles do), then there’s nowhere better to look at than his part as the Wareham, Massachusetts-based waterpark owner, Owen in The Way, Way Back, who befriends the young “nobody” Duncan (Liam James) one random summer.
The Way, Way Back is the creative brainchild of Nat Faxon and Community legend Jim Rash (who appear on-camera as waterpark employees as well), meditating on the struggles of a boy wrestling with the fallout of divorce. As Duncan accompanies his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her boyfriend, Trent (Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin) to beach house-ville, he finds himself even more out of place than he was back home. From the moment the film starts, there’s a clear chasm between Duncan and Trent, as the would-be father figure bullies his would-be son and shows no genuine concern or care for his well-being beyond how it might make him look to the members of the strange coastal community they find themselves in. But that’s where Rockwell’s Owen comes in. Not only is Owen the exact opposite of Trent, but he’s arguably everything that Duncan wants to be — even if the boy doesn’t know it yet.
From the moment we meet Rockwell’s character, he is confident, uniquely stylish, and completely carefree — often to a fault. He has learned to enjoy (and perhaps overindulge in) the little things in life, a lifestyle that admittedly stints some of his own personal growth along the way. There are things about him that come across immediately, of course, as quite childish and immature, but there’s another side to Owen that guides the teenager through one of the most challenging times of his life. Rockwell’s character — despite the actor’s own off-screen admissions that he “definitely doesn’t want to become a parent,” per The Guardian — is strangely parental, even as Owen does just about everything possible to avoid responsibility and commitment. But it’s his youthful and sarcastic energy that helps teach Duncan how to break out of his shell in true coming-of-age fashion. Somewhere along the way, he learns a lesson in growing up from the boy as well.
‘The Way, Way Back’ Shows That Sam Rockwell Can Run Circles Around Steve Carell
“He’s almost like fairy tale-like,” Rockwell explained about Owen to The Huffington Post while promoting the film. “He’s funny in a way and charming in a way that I can’t be in real life. But I can in that character.” Naturally, this is the type of role that Rockwell excels at. There’s an endearing quality to Owen that — even as we see his oddball faults and his inconsistent commitment to Maya Rudolph‘s Caitlin — we can appreciate given Duncan’s own unfortunate circumstances. There’s a lovable affability to him that only Rockwell can display with such clear charm as to lull the audience into the same sense of security and trust that Duncan finds himself. He’s not the grouchy old man who imparts wisdom to the next generation, nor is he the middle-aged man who failed as a father trying to redeem himself through another. Owen is everything that Carell’s character is not, and so becomes the best part of the picture.
While Carell receives top billing here as the no-nonsense, scummy boyfriend, it’s Rockwell who steals the show. Although Carell really launched his career playing the immature Michael Scott on The Office, his part here is quite different by comparison. He’s a bully at heart (though he masks this fault under a pile of half-hearted jokes and an irritable smile), and a cheat who has no problem being unfaithful to Pam, no matter if Duncan catches him in the act or not. In stark contrast, Owen is exactly the man he appears to be and is willing to own up to the mistakes he makes along the way. In many ways, Rockwell challenges both the traditional comedic archetype that Carell usually plays and the Trent character who exists within the film. Rockwell commits to the comedy with a greater emotional weight than Carell does on, say, The Office, while at the same time presenting himself as a dramatic foil to Trent.
Owen is one of the only characters, and certainly the only adult man, to stand up for Duncan. He actually cares about the boy in a way that Trent only pretends to in his domineering lectures and merciless criticisms. Even if Rockwell plays Owen as a bit overly childish at times, he manages to be far more socially aware and present in his own life than most of Carell’s characters, in The Way, Way Back or not. It’s no wonder, then, that Sam Rockwell is a master at work here. In just 103 minutes (okay, he’s on-screen for less time than that), the star proves that he can outshine Carell with ease simply by leaning into his comedic strengths and his natural talent for heartfelt and intentional drama. As noted in Collider‘s official review of the film, “Rockwell is once again playing a fast-talking, quick-witted, slightly sleazy, nevertheless endearing rogue, but he still gets the biggest laughs in the movie.” This too-often slept-on dramedy deserves high praise, if not just because of Sam Rockwell’s impressive ability to steal the show.
The Way, Way Back is available to rent or buy on VOD services.
