The Kings of Summer, The Way Way Back

In The Way Way Back, Duncan and his family are headed with his mother's boyfriend's family to a beach house. Upon arrival, Duncan discovers that the beach house can be a nightmare, as he doesn't fit in with the kids, and the adults are busy either getting drunk or stoned. His mother's boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) is a constant antagonist, and Duncan's mom (Toni Collette) doesn't seem happy but also doesn't seem too concerned about him. Duncan takes to riding a bike during the day and stumbles upon a waterpark. The park's manager Owen (Sam Rockwell) offers him a job, and at last Duncan has an escape from the beachfront misery

In The Kings of Summer, Joe and Patrick seek escape from their unbearable home situations. Joe's father Frank (Nick Offerman) demeans Joe (and pretty much everyone else). Frank's parents are clingy to the point of suffocating. Joe gets the idea to build a house in the woods, and after initially being skeptical, Patrick joins him, as does an odd kid named Biaggio.

To me, the two films with similar premises offered a similar experience. These are two entertaining but not great films with noteworthy performances. The Way Way Back features Sam Rockwell as Owen, a waterpark manager that befriends Duncan, and the film is much better when Rockwell is on screen than at any other time. The film succeeds in portraying Water Wizz as an oasis for Duncan and his coworkers as a second family, but away from the park, The Way Way Back is nothing out of the ordinary (although Alison Janney does steal some scenes as a loose-lipped neighbor, and Carell plays a convincing jerk, something I've been waiting for after all his nice-guy roles).

The Kings of Summer covers familiar territory as well, and I think Offerman and Moises Arias (Biaggio) steal the show. Offerman's scowl and criticism drive his family away, but he also has some funny moments, and Arias provides the wackiness that an otherwise earnest film needs.

I'd recommend both films. They're not groundbreaking films, but have individual performances worth the price of admission.