The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age story that boasts an all-star ensemble, two academy award winning directors, and humor and heart to boot.

It takes a deep breath or two to run down the cast list of this movie, but just to name a few, we’ve got, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, AnnaSophia Robb, and Liam James in the lead role.

The performances turned in by the cast and the “slice of life” writing style from Oscar winners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (The Descendants) make for a warm, funny look at the complications that come with feeling stuck in life.

At the opening of the film, we meet Duncan (James), a quiet, shy, 14-year-old who is understandably bummed out to be sitting in “the way way back” of a station wagon belonging to his mother’s boyfriend, Trent (Carell).

Duncan is being dragged on a “family” vacation to a Boston beach town with his mom (Collette), Trent, and Trent’s vapid teenage daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). There is obvious tension between Duncan and Trent and it is clear from the beginning that Trent’s attempts at bonding are less than genuine.

Once in town, we meet a host of characters that provide a little hope for Duncan to have, at the very least, and interesting summer -and at the very most, a life-changing one.

Allison Janney bursts into the story as the lovably blunt neighbor Betty. She walks around in a bathing suit she’s too old for, spills her drinks, invites herself everywhere, and we love her. Janney brings her own signature brand of stark humor and warmheartedness that makes you excited for what she’ll say next.

Robb plays Betty’s teenage daughter, Susanna who immediately catches Duncan’s eye. She is a little older and much cooler than he, but the two form an awkwardly sweet bond.

Soon, we meet Owen (Rockwell), the laid-back, fast-talking manager of the local Water Wizz water park. Owen is far too busy sleeping in and messing with his fellow employees to actually manage the park but it’s obvious he loves his job. He will be the catalyst for Duncan’s life-changing summer. He takes the 14-year old under his wing and teaches him to live more freely and respond more impulsively. Rockwell plays this character with such ease and soul, it makes us wish he was around during our angst-filled summers.

Water Wizz is filled with lovable characters, from obnoxious daily visitors to employees who have turned summer jobs into life-long careers. Maya Rudolph plays a park employee who actually takes on Owen’s managing duties and his clearly the reluctant object of his affection. Rockwell and Rudolph have obvious chemistry. They give us a “grown-up” couple to root for throughout the film.

Co-writer-directors Rash and Faxon also show up as park employees who aid in Duncan’s emergence from his proverbial shell.

Collette and Carell give honest performances as a frustratingly mismatched couple who provides most of the melo-drama that is mixed intermittently throughout the film. As Duncan escapes away to the water park and with Susanna, the audience gets to escape with him.

Rash and Faxon have given us such a personal script filled with humor, and sprinkled with drama, it is interesting to think about what message, if any, they want audiences to take from the film. Obviously, it is a coming-of-age story, but is there a lesson to be learned?

The dialogue in this film is so realistic that the drama is often uncomfortable. At times it feels as if the moments of sadness and anger burst out of nowhere and upset the feel-good vibe of the film. It’s hard to say whether that is intended or just a missed mark.

At first, my only real, negative criticism of The Way Way Back was that the feel-good moments are so effecting, that it’s almost difficult to care about the dramatic ones. Then again, maybe that is the life lesson we should take away from the film. Maybe the importance of the feel-good moments is what Rash and Faxon were trying to get us to understand all along.

Grade: A-

Rated: PG-13 (for strong language and some persuasive dialogue)

The Way Way Back opens in theaters on July 5.