MovieChat Forums > The Way Way Back (2013) Discussion > sexist and overrated and just not funny,...

sexist and overrated and just not funny, period

posted 11 years ago by calvintoronto
47 replies | jump to latest

Haven't we seen this all before? A kid who is withdrawn because of family problems meets a few people who take inexplicable interest in him, with the result that he comes out of his shell.

First, it's the guy at the water park, who appears to make the sullen kid his project. (I would have given up on the kid after the first non-conversation.) Then, the cute next-door neighbour, no doubt meant to contrast the superficiality of her friends, presumably sees a wounded fellow traveler, and she proves to be right, because, hey, we all want to be understood, right?

The worst part of it all occurs at the waterslide. The kid is instructed on how to hold people up (mostly women) so that they can be oogled. And the scene goes on. And on. And on. And on. And uncomfortably on. When the kid begins to come out of his shell, he does the same thing. Hey! Way to go, older guys! Give the kid a Life Lesson by showing him that women are meant to be objectified! Yeah! Make the world a better place! Right on!

I know that protagonists don't have to be perfect or likeable. But this was one summer vacation I sure wouldn't want to be on, what with that sourpuss around.

Alison Janney was very good, as usual. But so good that it was like she walked in from another, more interesting, more funny movie.

[–] Devans00 10 years ago

I agree calvintoronto. Booting people out of line so they could oogle young girls like cows at a county fair turned my stomach. I guess a room full of men thought it was amusing. Obviously no women with power and/or self respect were around to veto the decision to have females treated like that.

This movie was barely tolerable only because I could fast forward past the first hour or so.

No two persons ever watch the same movie.

[–] armand-mihaies 10 years ago

This thread must be the "i like *beep* movies while being gay fan club". Get a grip weirdos.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Htos_Drol 10 years ago

Ah. The water slide ogling.

Back in my youth, I worked retail for a deep discount pharmacy chain. We had ogling down to a science, and would even use the store p.a. system to alert each other when attractive women were spotted in the store. We even used code words (much the same way we did with shoplifters) so we could disclose her location in the store without her knowledge.

Juvenile? Yes.

But it was a fun diversion to an otherwise pointless existence.

[–] mgulev 9 years ago

Indeed, it´s what young (immature?) males do. It fit the movie and the feel of it. They didn´t HAVE to put that scene in, but it felt right even if it was uncomfortable to some.
Now, if they had asked her to bend over - they would´ve crossed the line!

If it had been a movie from the 80´s, I could see James Belushi tying a string to her string bikini so that it came off half way down the slide. Then she would be topless and everyone would be laughing. Because Belushi did it and that was the zeitgeist.

[–] activista 9 years ago

I had a problem with that scene too, for the same reasons people who don't like it mentioned, but then I thought, "Well,it's just young boys having fun, and finding out what they like about girls." None of the adult female characters are objectified in any way, so that was good. Good film,regardless. I get why that scene would make some women uncomfortable, simply because we as female film viewers are so used to seeing women objectified to the 10th damn degree in everything--movies,commercials,TV,social media,everything. But in the cse of this particular film, it's not what the entire film was about, so that's refreshing.

@htos

"We had ogling down to a science"----that's funny! The science of ogling---getting your ogle on. Never thought of secretly ogling anyone as a skill you had to learn, but it makes sense, especially if you don't want to get caught doing it,lol.