On Monday, by recommendation of a very dear friend of mine, I watched the movie The Way Way Back. Before I get into what I got from the movie, I want to highly recommend it. The writing is amazing (written by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, famous as the writing team for The Descendants), the characters perfectly developed, and enough of a conflict within the story to keep it real and relatable on multiple planes. Also, Steve Carrell probably delivers one of his best performances and what movie that features a wild Allison Janney isn't fun? I implore all of you reading this to find a copy of this movie and watch it immediately. Now, moving on.
The movie is about a young boy going on a summer vacation with his divorced mom and her boyfriend (Steve Carrell) to his beach house. This kid, along with dealing with the onset of puberty and all the emotional changes that comes with that, he is dealing with the fact that he no longer has a father figure in his life and a mom who is quiet, timid, and easily submissive, no matter that damage it could cause. Now, coming from a household that was not divided growing up, this is an aspect that I couldn't fully empathize with, but what I got from this movie was the friendship that this hermit of a kid forged with a local water park manager played by Sam Rockwell. Rockwell's character is a kid at heart, but the kid that everyone loves in high school, but not because he's the captain of the football team or the class president. It's because he just loves the fact that he can wake up every morning and breath. It's because Rockwell's character has a zest for life. He is the class clown and has no judgements regarding anyone. Everyone is his friend and no one is too good for him.
Throughout the movie, the boy, whose name is Duncan, is shy, quiet, off-putting, and generally shut of the world and everything it has to offer. When he visits Rockwell's water park, Rockwell immediately takes to him, realizing this is a kid not having a fun time and knows he can get something out of him. He eventually offers Duncan a summer job at the water park where, through a near perfectly orchestrated transformation, he comes out of his shell and starts to smile and enjoy what is around him: the world.
What I got from this movie is something that I believe with all my being in every day life: that no matter what kind of person you are, shy or outgoing, introvert or extrovert, there are people or plural people out there that are meant to inspire you. There are people that are the keymasters to your own world. You simply have to take a leap of faith and let them inspire you. Let them change the way you see things. Let them wake you up to show you that you are the eyes of the world and that the world is, in fact, looking at you and not ignoring you. Everyone has the natural right to enjoy life and sometimes we need other's help to convince us of that, just don't be so shut off that you are blind to their efforts.
Another thing that struck me about this movie and the message that I got from it is that I watched it on Monday. Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. day. A man who was an inspiration to millions and changed the way millions look at not only the world but their fellow man and woman. But he didn't just walk up to a podium one day and change things like that. He would've been nothing if people didn't let him inspire. But people listened to him, and let him inspire, and let him open their own doors to the rest of the world. Just found it as a cool coincidence that these two things happened on the same day.
Have a great weekend to all of you just be open. Be willing to be inspired and be ready to inspire.
Abide and ramble on my friends,
Stish
Soundtrack:
"Pearl" by Dave Crossland
"Goodnight" by William Fitzsimmons
"Celtic New Year' by Van Morrison
"Flirtin' With the Undertaker" by Jack Rose
"I'm Ready" by Muddy Waters
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