Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, starring Steve Carell (Trent), Toni Collette (Pam), Liam James (Duncan), AnnaSophia Robb (Susanna), and Sam Rockwell (Owen). A shy 14-year-old kid, Duncan, goes on a summer vacation with his mom, overbearing boyfriend Trent and his daughter. Duncan finds a small girls bike and rides it out of town to escape and runs into Water Wizz, the local water park. Duncan meets Owen and becomes friends, eventually getting a job at the park. Owen becomes the father figure in Duncan s life when he discovers Trent is cheating on his mom. When its time to leave, Duncan escapes and finds one last way to get to Water Wizz to say goodbye.
I found the movie to be an interesting script and different than what I have seen before and covers some controversial topics such as verbal abuse and cheating on partner. The movie had small hints of humor with witty banter between characters and jokes over the misfortune of others. I thought the actors did an amazing job playing their characters and they really led the performance, considering the script was weak.
The scene I liked the most was the opening scene in the car. I liked the use of the camera shooting the conversation between Duncan and Trent. The camera shot the image of Trent in the reflection of the rear view mirror, showing only his eyes, forcing Carell to show his emotion only in his eyes. The camera shot Duncan in the back of the car facing backwards with the road moving past him. It was interesting how they had the characters having a conversation without making eye contact. It showed the disrespect the characters had for one another.
I give the movie a 3/5.
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