THE WAY WAY BACK (12A, 103 mins) **** Starring Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Zoe Levin, Sam Rockwell, AnnaSophia Robb, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, Maya Rudolph, River Alexander. Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Drawing obvious comparisons with Little Miss Sunshine, The Way Way Back is a bittersweet coming-of-age story that strikes perfect balance between laughter and tears.

First-time directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have fashioned a near-perfect portrait of adolescent angst that eschews mawkish sentimentality yet still manages to tug the heartstrings with aplomb.

Our affection for the film’s painfully shy, teenage hero is galvanised from the opening scene.

Fourteen-year-old Duncan (Liam James) wanted to spend the summer vacation with his father in San Diego. Instead, he’s being forced to tolerate a holiday on the East Coast with his mother Pam (Collette), her new boyfriend Trent (Carell) and Trent’s tearaway teenage daughter Steph (Levin), who doesn’t want to be lumbered with a socially awkward misfit like Duncan when she could be sunbathing with her gal pals.

Feeling desperately alone in Trent’s beach house, Duncan ventures to a nearby Water Wizz theme park where the wise-cracking owner Owen (Rockwell) takes pity on the miserable teenager and hires him for the summer.

Keeping the job secret from his mother, Duncan gains confidence under his reckless mentor, who only has eyes for his sassy employee, Caitlin (Rudolph). The lad musters the courage to strike up a conversation with Susanna (Robb), who lives in a neighbouring beach house with her boozy and indiscreet mother, Betty (Janney).

Meanwhile, Pam’s relationship with Trent shows signs of wear and tear, exacerbated by the continued presence of his vivacious friend Joan (Peet) and her clueless partner Kip (Corddry).

The Way Way Back is a delight.

The film navigates a haphazard path through Duncan’s growing pains with tenderness and affection. The script spares the characters few blushes as they seek the tiniest glimmers of self-fulfilment.

James delivers an impressive, emotionally-raw performance, and he is the perfect foil for Rockwell’s wise-cracking man-child, and Janney is a hoot as the mother from hell.

Damon Smith