Jim Rash and Nat Faxon on the set of “The Way Way Back.” The Oscar winning writing duo penned and directed the family dramady. (Courtesy of 20th Century Fox)
Even before writing duo Jim Rash and Nat Faxon picked up the 2012 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Descendants,” the script for their family-in-crisis comedy “The Way Way Back” was already making its way across the desks of Hollywood’s most important eyes.
Rash and Faxon, who stopped by Dallas’ Fairmount hotel to discuss the film, were determined to get the passion project to production. Considering that the film’s opening scene is ripped from Rash’s adolescence, the project had a personal touch.
“Cathartic is the perfect way to describe the process for me,” Rash said. “It gave us a chance to revisit moments and see how lucky we were for that moment to even happen.”
“The Way Way Back” takes place during the summer in a breezy lake town in Massachusetts. The film follows its main character, Liam James’ angsty teen Duncan, as he navigates the new town, deals with pressing family issues and , to his surprise, finds a summer fling.
Rash and Faxon have been writing partners for more than 15 years, originally connecting with each other in Los Angeles’ famed comedy troupe, Groundlings.
“The Way Way Back” marks the first time for the duo to direct together.
“We knew the story we wanted to tell and worked with each other to get it done,” Faxon said. “We’ve been writing together for so long, so most of our drama was with things we couldn’t control, like time, weather and money.”
Perhaps the hardest aspect of filming came during scenes that took place at the Water Wizz, a local waterpark that opened its doors for the filmmakers. Being an independent production, shutting the waterpark down to make filming easier was never an option.
“We had a ton of local people who didn’t care, or didn’t even know, that we were filming,” Rash said. “We had to get our crew in Water Wizz uniforms to direct people out of the frame and our sound guy worked overtime fighting against the natural sounds of the place.”
While the location may have presented the most challenge, Rash and Faxon knew that their A-list cast would not be an issue.
The film stars major actors like Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph and Allison Janey.
“We wanted to cast the film in a way were we knew there would be no hiccups,” said Rash. “We couldn’t deal with any unexpected issues. Our cast was solid and extremely talented.”
“The Way Way Back” is currently playing at the Angelika Plano and the Landmark Magnolia Pictures in Uptown with a rolling release to other area theaters later this summer.
Visit smudailycampus.com for a review of the film.
