The Way, Way Back is a 2013 American independent coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash in their directorial debuts. The film stars Liam James as Duncan, a shy 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to Cape Cod, Massachusetts with his mother and her abusive boyfriend. The film also stars Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, AnnaSophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, and Maya Rudolph, with Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Faxon, and Rash in supporting roles.
Faxon and Rash conceived the film in the early 2000s, however it spent several years in development hell before funding could be secured. Eventually, Fox Searchlight Pictures (the same studio who distributed other independent films such as Little Miss Sunshine and Juno) agreed to distribute the film. Filming lasted several months during the Summer of 2012. It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and had a wider release on July 5, 2013, where it received positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $26.9 million against its $5 million budget.