December 4, 2013 -- This coming of age story about a boy spending a summer working at a water park in Cape Cod has a lot more angst in it than I was expecting, but at least nobody dies. The story has some of the lighthearted fun a boy should have working for a fun-loving boss and enjoying the company of a hot girlfriend, but he should be having a lot more fun.

The film's central character, Duncan (played by Liam James of “2012”) is dragged to Cape Cod for a summer, along with his mother and sister by his mother's boyfriend, Trent (played by Steve Carell of “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone”). Duncan is a quiet, introverted boy who doesn't fit in well with his new Cape Cod neighbors, the loud alcoholic Betty (Allison Janney of “Juno”) and her equally loud friends, Kip (Rob Corddry of “Warm Bodies”) and Joan (Amanda Peet of “2012”).

Duncan hates Trent, who is emotionally abusive to him. Trent seems to be an insecure control freak. Duncan's mother, Pam (Toni Collette of “Hitchcock”) seems to think Trent is the best she can do. She is afraid to lose Trent, so puts up with his pushy, irritating behavior. On top of that, Duncan spots Trent kissing Joan, but keeps quiet about it at first.

Duncan rides a bike around town and finally finds a haven from his emotional problems, a water park called Water Wizz (this is a real water park in East Wareham, Massachusetts). There he is befriended by a member of the water park staff, Owen (Sam Rockwell of “Iron Man 2”) who hires him to work at the park. Owen is a carefree guy who resists structure in his environment. He is an irritant to his boss, Caitlin (Maya Rudolph of “Bridesmaids”). Caitlin likes Owen, but is afraid that his irresponsibility is going to get someone hurt. Owen rides on the very edge of responsibility. He seems to be able to remain just barely responsible enough to keep his job.

The staff at Water Wizz is like a family which is constantly bickering, but they all manage to get along and to care for one another. Duncan fits into this family much better than his own. As he gains confidence at work, he also grows closer to his lovely next door neighbor, Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb of “Soul Surfer”). Although this is on the puppy love level, Susanna's friendship means a lot to Duncan.

There is a big emotional blowup scene in the film and a final act of defiance and skill. Despite all the angst in the film, Duncan, and even his mother, seem better off at the end. Although I could have used less angst and more fun, this is, on the whole, a film in which the positives outweigh the negatives. It is a worthy addition to the well-worn coming-of-age genre. This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2013 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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