30 Days of Screenplays, Day 1: “The Way, Way Back”
Why 30 screenplays in 30 days?
Why 30 screenplays in 30 days?
Because whether you are a novice just starting to learn the craft of screenwriting or someone who has been writing for many years, you should be reading scripts.
There is a certain type of knowledge and understanding about screenwriting you can only get from reading scripts, giving you an innate sense of pace, feel, tone, style, how to approach writing scenes, how create flow, and so forth.
We did 30 Days of Screenplays in 2013 and you can access each of those posts and discussions here. This time, we’re trying something different: I invited thirty Go Into The Story followers to read one script each and provide a guest post about it.
Today’s guest columnist: Roger Market.
Title: The Way Way Back. You may read the screenplay here.
Year: 2013
Writing Credits: Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Plot Summary: Shy 14-year-old Duncan goes on summer vacation with his mother, her overbearing boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, manager of the Water Wizz water park.
Tagline: We’ve All Been There.
Awards: Nominated for eighteen awards, including three Critics Choice Awards (Best Young Actor/Actress for Liam James, Best Actor in a Comedy for Sam Rockwell, and Best Comedy). Won the Newport Beach Film Festival Audience Award for a US Feature Film, as well as the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough (Male) Performance for Liam James.
Analysis: The Way Way Back is a great read. It’s funny and heartfelt. It’s frustrating yet relieving, surprising yet inevitable.
Structurally, the movie has one of the earliest and most frustrating inciting incidents I’ve ever encountered. The opening scene takes place in a station wagon as 14-year-old Duncan, his mom, her boyfriend Trent, and Trent’s daughter drive toward the house they’re going to stay in for the summer. At the top of the scene, while Duncan’s mom and Trent’s daughter are sleeping, Trent asks Duncan if he’s awake just so he can then tell the boy that, on a social scale from one to ten, he’s a three and needs to raise that score this summer. Who says that to a child? Never before have I hated an antagonist so much right from the start. By the third page of the script, it’s clear that the movie is about Duncan proving that he is not a three.
From there, the movie proceeds like normal, with Duncan being forced to tag along with his mom, Trent, and Trent’s daughter on this summer vacation. At the second-act turning point, Duncan meets Owen, who soon gives Duncan a job at his water park and who will be instrumental in Duncan’s eventual transformation. Duncan keeps the job a secret. The midpoint has Duncan’s mom descending deeper and deeper into Trent’s terrible thrall, and when the second act becomes the third, Duncan finally stands up to Trent (but it ultimately does no good) and then tries to kiss the girl next door but is rebuffed. We can see it now: he’s getting bold, but he’s not there yet. He needs Owen’s help. He needs the water park.
A running thread throughout the second half of the movie is the legend about a boy once passing someone on the tallest waterslide at the park. Some believe it, and others don’t. At the climax, that’s exactly what Duncan does, and he becomes a hero. By passing Owen on the waterslide in front of everyone — including his mom, Trent, and Trent’s daughter — Duncan proves that he is not a three, that he can make friends and put himself out there. Or better yet: that it doesn’t matter. The “way way back” is not such a bad seat, and he prefers to ride there anyway.
The script is a fun read with many laugh-out-loud moments. These moments usually center on dialogue from either Owen or Betty, the lonely, alcoholic lady next door whose husband left her because he was gay. But the heart of the story is Duncan’s transformation from a reserved teenager to a popular cool kid, and on at least a couple of occasions, this transformation is evidenced in his repetition of a piece of dialogue or an idea that he got from Owen. Duncan is such a predictable, straight-laced kid that when he begins to change, he surprises everyone. And he makes both his mom and Owen proud.
Most Memorable Dialogue:
BETTY (off Steph’s skimpy bikini): “That’s exactly the kind of [swim] suit that got me pregnant the first time.”
LEWIS: “These [swimming trunks] don’t have any mesh, so you’re basically going ‘commando.’ Watch sitting. [Your] junk will fall out.”
PAM: “It’s Candlyland, Trent….(seconds later, in tears) It’s fucking Candyland!”
OWEN (over the waterpark’s loudspeaker): “Duncan, back to his lady friend. Duncan, to his lady friend. Please let her know that our conversation was entirely about her. In other news, this is extremely awkward for you.”
TRENT: “[Your father] doesn’t want you, kid.”
DUNCAN: “Don’t die wondering, man.”
Most Memorable Moments: Trent telling Duncan, a 14-year-old kid, that he’s a three on a social scale of one to ten. Duncan receiving his nickname, Pop ‘n Lock, at the waterpark after dancing with the break-dancers. The “going away” party for Lewis. Duncan passing Owen on the waterslide and proving that he is not a three.
What Did I Learn About Screenwriting From Reading This Script: One thing I learned, or that was reiterated to me, by reading this script is that the earlier one can place the inciting incident, the better. In this case, the first three pages tell the reader exactly what this story is about, and I can see why the filmmakers were successful in getting it made and executing on such a well-defined conflict.
Another thing I learned, or that was reiterated to me, by reading The Way Way Back is that comedy is all about structure. A writer can craft a pretty funny line by itself, sure, but the funniest lines are usually only funny because they’ve been well set up. In a vacuum, they’d never be funny. So I guess in short: context and setup are the keys to writing comedy that works.
Thanks, Roger! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
To see all of this year’s 30 Days of Screenplays, go here.