![]() This sounds like something a good guy would do, right? But HOW he says the line makes us hate him immediately. For example, the opening scene of the film, which is partially shown in the trailer, features Trent trying to convince Duncan to use the summer to meet new friends and become more sociable. However, when you pair it with HOW he delivers the line, he becomes one of the biggest jerks in film history. For the most part, if you just look at the words that he says, he doesn’t seem like such a bad guy. Steve Carell’s character Trent is probably the best-written character of the bunch. It’s marvelous writing, brilliantly acted by Steve Carell and Toni Collette. ![]() In that one scene, we get a subtle and yet powerful glimpse of how and why the adult relationship is crumbling. The power struggle exists only between his mother and Trent. Duncan, meanwhile, never tried to take the shortcut. The argument grows until it climaxes with Duncan’s mother yelling “Fucking Candyland” and leaving the room. While Duncan’s mother is adamant about the fact that they don’t have to play by the rules and that they can make exceptions in order to keep the game fun, Trent is strict and headstrong. He pulls out the rule book and insists that the game be played by the rules. Trent, however, stops this from happening. His mother encourages him to take a shortcut on the board in order to help him win the game. Duncan pulls a card and moves his token to the appropriate blue square. One of my favorite examples of this comes in a scene where Duncan, his mother, her boyfriend Trent and his daughter all sit around the table to play Candyland. Because the writers recognize the power of subtext, they trust the actors’ performances to convey the deeper issues. The film also succeeds when characters talk about something other than the main issue that they face. These are all subtle yet forceful gestures that were included in the screenplay where a lesser writer would have felt compelled to include verbose dialogue.īut this screenplay doesn’t only shine when the cast is saying nothing. Owen (Sam Rockwell) steps forward when introduced to Trent in such a way that we see how protective he has become of Duncan. By wearing a simple headband, we see how threatened Joan (Amanda Peet) feels about Trent’s new girlfriend. With one look, Pam (Toni Collette) conveys that she not only realizes that her relationship may not work out but that her son knows it too. Later in the film, we see some other brilliant yet silent moments. In other words, the writing reflects the character. It is his lack of dialogue that helps to define who he is, and as his confidence grows, the character receives more and more dialogue in the screenplay. When he does try to talk, he can barely string two words together. While many writers would feel some kind of impulsive need to front load their script with backstory and long stretches of dialogue, protagonist Duncan (Liam James) hardly says a word for at least the first 20-30 minutes of the film. ![]() In The Way, Way Back, however, the writers knew that good actors have the ability to build a scene without saying a word. They feel like they have to give extra information through dialogue in order to convey their underlying message. Over the years, I’ve come across so many screenplays that proved that some writers are too terrified to trust actors to do their jobs. These writers knew the power that a simple look or the slump of a shoulder could bring, and they didn’t feel the need to overwrite the action in order to tell their compelling and very human story. This was a subtle and often hilarious film that wasn’t afraid to trust the top-notch actors that were cast to do their jobs. I could rave about many things in the film, but for this blog, I really want to commend the writers for their amazing screenplay. The Way, Way Back tells the story of Duncan, an awkward youth that journeys to a beach house with his mother, his mother’s boyfriend and his daughter to spend the summer. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Fortunately for audiences everywhere, the film is good enough to deserve its glowing hype, and I truly feel fortunate to have seen it. You might also know that this film features a dream cast: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry and many more amazingly talented actors whose names you might not know but who will recognize at once. If you follow film news at all, then you probably know that this film was the biggest acquisition at the Sundance Film Festival and it was written and directed by Academy Award winning screenwriting due Jim Rash (yes, the Dean on Community) and Nat Faxon. This evening, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the film The Way, Way Back, which will open in theaters everywhere on July 5 th.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |