Latest news with #comedy drama
The Guardian
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
My cultural awakening: a Steve Carell film made me realise I was being abused
In the first five minutes of the 2013 comedy drama The Way Way Back, a teenage boy has a conversation with his stepfather in a car bound for Cape Cod. You can only see the stepdad's eyes in the rearview mirror, but you instantly know it's Steve Carell. At this point, I loved Carell. He's the reason that I, then a teenager, watched the film. 'Duncan … let me ask you something,' Carell's character says. 'On a scale of one to 10, what do you think you are?' Duncan responds shyly that he thinks he's a six. Any normal adult would balk and correct him. Tell him he's nothing less than a 10. 'I think you're a three,' says Carell's character, Trent. Suddenly, I hated Carell with a blind fury. He was a vision of pure evil. I didn't want to watch him in anything else, ever. As it turns out, this was a full-sized, double-strength dose of projection. I'm 27 now, and it's been six years since I rid myself of my real-life Trent. After my dad died when I was six, my mum started dating a new guy within a year. Though intensely smart and caring, she was blinded by grief and clawing around in the dark for a cure. That's when she found her Trent on A charming, self-motivated man, he seemed like the Real Deal. But Trent changed our lives almost immediately. He made us give up the dog we got when my dad died because his adult daughter didn't like dogs. He moved my mum, sister and I into the middle of the countryside, away from all our friends. He made me feel small, unsafe and unwelcome in my home. He stopped my mum from seeing her own friends, spending her own money and leaving the house. Later, we would find out that he locked his first wife in the house when he went to work 'to keep her safe'. I didn't know what I was experiencing was abuse until I watched The Way Way Back. Even then, the film never calls it that. But Carell's character is so clearly the villain, and so uncannily similar to my stepdad, that it was unavoidable. It was as if someone had made an entire film to scream to me: this is a bad guy! Get away from him! Trent utilises what people now know as 'coercive control'. He manipulates and belittles Duncan and his mum, Pam, with methods so familiar that it made me wince. To avoid Trent, Duncan lands a job at a water park, and his ragtag group of colleagues drag Duncan out of his awkward shell. By the end of the film, he stands up to Trent, freeing his mother from his clutches. As a teenager, I was too scared to fight back. But then I found my water park: Animal, a clothing chain based in the south of England, where I was a weekend shop girl from ages 17 to 19. Every awkward hello to customers and failed refund attempt made me a little bolder, more sure of myself. One day, as I was heading out to work, my stepdad pushed me over the edge, and I stood up to him. I told my mum that if she stayed with him, she'd never see me again. For a while, my mum still wanted to make the relationship work. But that was never going to be how it ended. In the final few minutes of The Way Way Back, Pam is in the front passenger seat next to Trent on the way home from Cape Cod. Suddenly, as if by epiphany, Pam clambers to the back to sit with her son. The film ends with them looking out of the rear window together, side by side. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Six months after my standoff with my stepdad, my mum clambered back to me, too. We haven't seen Trent since. And now I can watch Steve Carell movies again. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via Did a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Email us at
The Guardian
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
My cultural awakening: a Steve Carell film made me realise I was being abused
In the first five minutes of the 2013 comedy drama The Way Way Back, a teenage boy has a conversation with his stepfather in a car bound for Cape Cod. You can only see the stepdad's eyes in the rearview mirror, but you instantly know it's Steve Carell. At this point, I loved Carell. He's the reason that I, then a teenager, watched the film. 'Duncan … let me ask you something,' Carell's character says. 'On a scale of one to 10, what do you think you are?' Duncan responds shyly that he thinks he's a six. Any normal adult would balk and correct him. Tell him he's nothing less than a 10. 'I think you're a three,' says Carell's character, Trent. Suddenly, I hated Carell with a blind fury. He was a vision of pure evil. I didn't want to watch him in anything else, ever. As it turns out, this was a full-sized, double-strength dose of projection. I'm 27 now, and it's been six years since I rid myself of my real-life Trent. After my dad died when I was six, my mum started dating a new guy within a year. Though intensely smart and caring, she was blinded by grief and clawing around in the dark for a cure. That's when she found her Trent on A charming, self-motivated man, he seemed like the Real Deal. But Trent changed our lives almost immediately. He made us give up the dog we got when my dad died because his adult daughter didn't like dogs. He moved my mum, sister and I into the middle of the countryside, away from all our friends. He made me feel small, unsafe and unwelcome in my home. He stopped my mum from seeing her own friends, spending her own money and leaving the house. Later, we would find out that he locked his first wife in the house when he went to work 'to keep her safe'. I didn't know what I was experiencing was abuse until I watched The Way Way Back. Even then, the film never calls it that. But Carell's character is so clearly the villain, and so uncannily similar to my stepdad, that it was unavoidable. It was as if someone had made an entire film to scream to me: this is a bad guy! Get away from him! Trent utilises what people now know as 'coercive control'. He manipulates and belittles Duncan and his mum, Pam, with methods so familiar that it made me wince. To avoid Trent, Duncan lands a job at a water park, and his ragtag group of colleagues drag Duncan out of his awkward shell. By the end of the film, he stands up to Trent, freeing his mother from his clutches. As a teenager, I was too scared to fight back. But then I found my water park: Animal, a clothing chain based in the south of England, where I was a weekend shop girl from ages 17 to 19. Every awkward hello to customers and failed refund attempt made me a little bolder, more sure of myself. One day, as I was heading out to work, my stepdad pushed me over the edge, and I stood up to him. I told my mum that if she stayed with him, she'd never see me again. For a while, my mum still wanted to make the relationship work. But that was never going to be how it ended. In the final few minutes of The Way Way Back, Pam is in the front passenger seat next to Trent on the way home from Cape Cod. Suddenly, as if by epiphany, Pam clambers to the back to sit with her son. The film ends with them looking out of the rear window together, side by side. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Six months after my standoff with my stepdad, my mum clambered back to me, too. We haven't seen Trent since. And now I can watch Steve Carell movies again. In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via Did a cultural moment prompt you to make a major life change? Email us at
Daily Mail
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jay Kelly FIRST LOOK: George Clooney stars as Hollywood actor who 'always plays himself' in new Netflix comedy - days after the Oscar winner furiously hit back at claims he lacked versatility
George Clooney takes on the role of a movie star who 'always plays himself' Netflix 's new comedy drama Jay Kelly - days after he furiously hit back at claims that he himself lacked onscreen versatility. In the first trailer for the film the Oscar winner, 64, is seen questioning his life choices, despite being fawned over by fans and staff. On a trip to an Italian film festival in his honour, joined by his manager played by Adam Sandler, he's hailed as the 'hero of cinema' before being brutally asked about always playing himself. To which he snaps back: 'You know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it'. George's character is seen continually reminding himself that he is 'Jay Kelly' as he and his pal embark on a whirlwind trip through Europe as it appears the glamour of showbiz has lost its appeal. The star-studded cast also features fellow Oscar winners Laura Dern, Jim Broadbent as well as Isla Fisher, Billy Crudup and Barbie director Greta Gerwig. The movie is directed by Greta's husband and fellow Barbie scribe Noah Baumbach, who wrote the script alongside British actress Emily Mortimer. The offical synopsis reads: 'Two middle-aged friends rediscover their youthful spirit during a chaotic weekend reunion, facing hilarious mishaps and heartfelt moments that force them to finally grow up'. The actor has had an illustrious career spanning 40 years, in which he's bagged an Academy Award for his role in Syriana in addition to a wealth of other accolades. But earlier this week during a recent interview with Variety, the Ocean's 11 star was asked about the doubts about his range as an actor, with George furiously snapping back: 'Do people say that I only play myself? I don't give a sh*t.' He went on: 'There aren't that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother [Where Art Though?] and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I'm playing myself all the time, I don't give a sh*t.' Echoing a quote from his character in upcoming project Jay Kelly, he added: Have you ever tried playing yourself? It's hard to do.' The Hollywood hunk continued: 'I've been the beneficiary of having my career not be massively successful in lots of different directions. I didn't really get successful, in the kind of success that can be blinding, until I was 33 years old [when ER began]. I'd been working for 12 years at that point. I had a real understanding of how fleeting all of it is and how little it has to do with you, quite honestly.' It comes after back in March, George quietly revealed the real reason he has quit starring in romantic comedies for good. The film star used to be one of the most sought after romantic comedy stars, but in recent years he has largely stepped away from the once-popular genre. George opened up about his changing career in an interview with 60 Minutes that that focused on his Broadway debut in Good Night, And Good Luck, a play adapted from the Oscar-nominated 2005 film that he directed, co-wrote and co-starred in. According to the A-list star, he has simply aged into a new phase of his career that doesn't align with most youth-focused rom-coms. 'Look, I'm 63 years old, I'm not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men,' he admitted. 'That's not my job,' he continued, before declaring, 'I'm not doing romantic films anymore.' Part of what has made Clooney so popular — which often translates to box-office success — is that he's charming enough to make non-romantic comedies feel as if they are rom-coms. Although his blockbuster heist comedy thriller Ocean's 11 isn't a traditional romantic comedy, the tension and humor that he brought to it with his costar Julia Roberts made every scene that they shared feel like a rom-com. One of George's most acclaimed films in the genre was an earlier collaboration with his Ocean's series director Steven Soderbergh on Out Of Sight. Even though that film had elements of a crime comedy and a thriller, his burgeoning on-screen romance with Jennifer Lopez comfortably sits with the best romantic comedies. George also worked with the Coen brothers on the screwball comedy Intolerable Cruelty with costar Catherine Zeta-Jones, but his Cary Grant–like charm and screen presence means that even some of his more traditional romantic dramas get just enough comedy to feel like rom-coms. His last official rom-com to date was the 2022 box-office success Ticket To Paradise, which grossed nearly $169 million against a $60 million budget. He and Julia Roberts reunited for the film, in which they play divorced parents who team up to put a stop to their daughter's destination wedding in Bali. Clooney also notes in his 60 Minutes interview that his life has changed in other ways, as he's now a married man with children, rather than one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors, as he was at the height of his commercial potential.
