This movie desperately wants to be the next Little Miss Sunshine but I really don’t think it is. It’s set during the summer vacation of a very lonely and introverted kid——and it is a testament to this kid’s lack of charisma or presence that I honestly cannot remember his name or the actor who played him——-who hates his mom’s new boyfriend (played by Steve Carell in a change of pace for him) and doesn’t want to go with his mom (an exhausted, mousy looking Toni Collette) to a beach condo for the summer. To lessen the boredom and awkwardness, he gets a summer job at a water park called Water Wizz where a cast of characters (led by Sam Rockwell’s Owen) takes him under their wing. He develops confidence, some semblance of social skills, and even gets on the radar of the hot blonde staying at the cabin next door (Anna Sophia Robb).
What Works: It’s nice to see Carell mixing it up even slightly from his usual persona, even if you hate the character he plays. Still, it’s a very realistic examination of the kind of guy who thinks he’s helping a kid with pitiful self-esteem to criticize him every minute. Anna Sophia doesn’t make for a girl who would believably be into this kid, but she acquits herself nicely. And Rockwell’s goofy charm doesn’t allow him to connect with anyone else on screen in any meaningful way but that’s exactly the type of fun defense mechanism the lead character would be drawn to. Their bond is the best part of the film. I also felt the film was insightful in the way a job can really help a shy kid open up.
What Doesn’t Work: You could never watch this film and you wouldn’t really miss anything. There’s a generic quality coming off of it (didn’t we see this same material done better in Adventureland?) that doesn’t benefit from the ambling pacing. The romanticization of crappy summer jobs is nothing new to Hollywood, and it’s hard to feel you’re watching anything different or exceptional. The ending is feel-good, and the audience will definitely leave on a high note, but if that’s all an audience really craves, then why seek out an indie in the first place in this season of blockbusters?
What I Would Have Done Differently: The lead character is so introverted and awkward and really a zero that it’s almost frustrating. Yes, we all go through a rough period (some of us are still in it) and our early teenage years are rarely perfect, but this kid doesn’t even get when someone is joking or know enough to smile when Rockwell’s character is being nice to him. Plus, the scene where he finally wins over Robb’s soulful Barbie is actually a montage of them hanging out and we never actually hear what he says. As is, it’s impossible to imagine this same kid saying anything that would have her rolling with laughter.