Movie Review

Actually, I'm going to review the theater, the special program and the movie.

On Monday, Rachel and I went to the movies.  That's right, I took a seven week old baby to the movies.  The Angelika Film Center is a boutique theater and cafe that shows a combination of smaller independent movies and the bigger studio releases.  The theater is located in Merrifield at the new Mosaic District complex.  There is a lot of free parking at Mosaic and many stores and restaurants for a meal before or after the show.  There are eight auditoriums with stadium seating.  You pick your seat when you buy your ticket, which is kind of neat and this is the only theater where I have seen this.

One of the special events they hold at the Angelika is the the Crybaby matinee.  Every Monday at 11:00, they have a screening of a movie for parents and kids.  They keep the volume down and the lights up a bit and no one gives you the stink eye if your kid cries or you whip out a boob to nurse.  Tickets are a special matinee price of $6 for adults and kids under 5 don't pay.  Just so you know, the movies are for the adults.  These are not kid movies.

Monday's movie was The Way, Way Back.  This is a wonderful coming of age story.  14 year old Duncan is forced to spend the summer with his mother, her boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his daughter in a small beach town.  Duncan is an awkward teen and has a hard time fitting in until he meets Owen, the manage of Water Wizz water park.  Liam James, the actor who plays Duncan, gives a fantastic performance, as did Allison Janney, who plays the quirky neighbor and provides a comic foil to Duncan's mom, Pam (played by Toni Collette)  I found the characters played by Carell and Collette both to be flat and I could not connect with them.  This was vastly different from every character that worked at Water Wizz.  These characters, even the ones with minimal screen time, were vibrant and interesting people.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and think that it and Liam James will probably earn lots of award nominations.