The Way Way Back (2013) Parents Guide: Is the movie OK for kids?
Age Rating, Sex, Violence & Language
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.
Rated PG-13 • 2013 • 1h 43m
The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age drama about 14-year-old Duncan, who struggles during a summer vacation with his mother and her condescending boyfriend, Trent. The film is rated PG-13 for its focus on mature themes, including infidelity, emotional abuse, and parental neglect, alongside pervasive use of alcohol and marijuana. Parents should be aware of frequent crude language and sexual dialogue that characterize the adult… Sign up for the full guide
Cast
Is The Way Way Back appropriate for kids?
The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age drama about 14-year-old Duncan, who struggles during a summer vacation with his mother and her condescending boyfriend, Trent. The film is rated PG-13 for its focus on mature themes, including infidelity, emotional abuse, and parental neglect… Read more — free account
Content severity in The Way Way Back
What happens in The Way Way Back, moment by moment
- 0:08 🔥 Mature Themes 3/10
- 0:22 🍷 Substances 3/10
- 0:35 ♥ Sex & Nudity 4/10
Sex and nudity in The Way Way Back
The film contains frequent sexual references and innuendo, largely driven by the adult characters. There is a scene involving a man making a crude sexual comment about his own anatomy, and characters often discuss infidelity and sexual promiscuity. A teenage boy is encouraged by an older peer to ogle women at a water park.
Violence and gore in The Way Way Back
Violence is minimal and non-graphic, limited to a brief physical altercation where a teen pushes an adult, leading to a momentary stand-off before he is pulled away.
Language in The Way Way Back
Strong and frequent coarse language is present, including the use of 'f*ck,' 'sh*t,' 'b*tch,' 'ass,' and various other profanities and anatomical references used in adult conversations.
Drugs, alcohol, and smoking in The Way Way Back
Substance use is a recurring element of the adult social scenes, with characters frequently seen consuming beer, wine, and cocktails. There are multiple references to marijuana, with characters shown holding a baggie of the drug and acting intoxicated at social gatherings.
Mature themes in The Way Way Back
The film deals with heavy emotional themes, including parental neglect, emotional abuse by a stepfather, the pain of divorce, and the confusion of adolescent identity. The protagonist, Duncan, suffers through verbal belittlement and the breakdown of his mother's romantic relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Way Way Back appropriate for kids?
Bontent's parent guide suggests The Way Way Back is best for ages 13+. It's rated PG-13. The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age drama about 14-year-old Duncan, who struggles during a summer vacation with his mother and her condescending boyfriend, Trent. The film is rated PG-13 for its focus on mature themes…
What age rating does The Way Way Back have?
The Way Way Back is officially rated PG-13. Bontent's independent parent guide recommends it for ages 13+.
What is The Way Way Back about?
The Way Way Back is a coming-of-age drama about 14-year-old Duncan, who struggles during a summer vacation with his mother and her condescending boyfriend, Trent. The film is rated PG-13 for its focus on mature themes, including infidelity, emotional abuse, and parental neglect, alongside pervasive use of alcohol and…
Is there sex or nudity in The Way Way Back?
The film contains frequent sexual references and innuendo, largely driven by the adult characters. There is a scene involving a man making a crude sexual comment about his own anatomy, and characters often discuss infidelity and sexual promiscuity. A teenage…
How violent is The Way Way Back?
Violence is minimal and non-graphic, limited to a brief physical altercation where a teen pushes an adult, leading to a momentary stand-off before he is pulled away.
Is the language in The Way Way Back appropriate for kids?
Strong and frequent coarse language is present, including the use of 'f*ck,' 'sh*t,' 'b*tch,' 'ass,' and various other profanities and anatomical references used in adult conversations.
Are drugs, alcohol, or smoking shown in The Way Way Back?
Substance use is a recurring element of the adult social scenes, with characters frequently seen consuming beer, wine, and cocktails. There are multiple references to marijuana, with characters shown holding a baggie of the drug and acting intoxicated at…
What mature themes appear in The Way Way Back?
The film deals with heavy emotional themes, including parental neglect, emotional abuse by a stepfather, the pain of divorce, and the confusion of adolescent identity. The protagonist, Duncan, suffers through verbal belittlement and the breakdown of his…
How long is The Way Way Back?
The Way Way Back runs 103 minutes, directed by Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, released in 2013.
Where can I read the full The Way Way Back parent guide?
Create a free Bontent account to unlock the full scene-by-scene notes, filter by your kids' ages, and save titles to your personal watchlist.
Parents also checked these movies for 13-year-olds
Sign up to filter
Movies like The Way Way Back with similar intensity
Sign up to filter
Less intense movies for families
Sign up to filter
More comedy movies with parent guides
- Interstellar parent guide
- Deadpool parent guide
- Fight Club parent guide
- The Shawshank Redemption parent guide
- Pulp Fiction parent guide
- Forrest Gump parent guide
- Django Unchained parent guide
- Joker parent guide
- Titanic parent guide
- The Wolf of Wall Street parent guide
- Shutter Island parent guide
- The Dark Knight Rises parent guide
More movies with Bontent parent guides
- 365 Days: This Day parent guide
- Noelle parent guide
- Sullivan's Travels parent guide
- Sibyl parent guide
- An American Pickle parent guide
- Boiling Point parent guide
- Planet Hulk parent guide
- Ophelia parent guide
- Mr. Church parent guide
- Day Watch parent guide
- Them parent guide
- Friends with Money parent guide
- The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines parent guide
- Whip It parent guide
- The First Beautiful Thing parent guide
- Partly Cloudy parent guide