I remember seeing My Bodyguard about a hundred years ago. The focus of that film is a young kid with little self esteem who is getting kicked around by his classmates. This led to a series of movies that had the premise that there were nasty guys around whose sole reason for existence was to bully some poor kid (Chris Makepiece/Ralph Machio). Ultimately, there was some person who had fallen from grace or led an unconventional, perhaps childlike existence, who offered "the way" to success. Most of them lived lives, distancing themselves from the establishment, attracting young people because they are really 40 year old peers. In this case we have a young man whose mother is engaged to Steve Carrel who is a complete ass. Carrel's character is verbally abusive and belittling to the young man. He offers little as a father figure. He is full of himself, pompous and has an opinion about everything. Naturally, the main character finds solace in the adult/child who works at a water park. The story is simplistic and heartwarming (not in a bad way). It's a decent diversion though no great shakes.
Review of The Way Way Back
