Away We Go

Away We Go

Away We Go - Directed by Sam Mendes, starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph - Rated R

Underneath the quirk, there's a great film.


Away We Go, Sam Mendes' (American Beauty) latest, is a surprisingly light-hearted, sometimes hilarious look at the fears that come with the prospect of parenthood and long term relationships. I call it surprisingly light-hearted because Mendes' Revolutionary Road was one of the bleakest films I've ever seen. And while I did enjoy Road, I found this to be much more entertaining and certainly easier to watch.

The film starts with Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) finding out that Verona is pregnant. Cut to six months later, Burt's parents are moving away (and they were the main reason why Burt and Verona are living in the same area) so Burt and Verona decide to visit friends and family around the country (and Canada) in search of a place to settle and raise a family.

At this point the film really becomes a series of chapters in which Burt and Verona come across either ridiculously strange and/or depressed couples. Most of these are played for laughs, but the film tones things down here and there and gets serious. I think the serious moments strike a perfect balance for the film since some of the crazier couples seem too ridiculous at times. Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan are funny, but I found them a bit unrealistic. The most ridiculous couple, however, is Maggie Gyllenhaal and Josh Hamilton as a hippie/new age type couple that believe in expressing their sexuality in front of their children and refuse to use strollers because they symbolize "pushing your child away from you." I hope that people like that do not exist, but the payoff of that sequence makes their craziness completely worth it.





Of course, to like this movie you have to like the couple on this trek, as they represent a "normal couple." I found them to be a bit pretentious at times. First off, they live in some kind of shack out in the woods, which was never really explained. Verona is sickened by Burt's need to act like he's interested in sports when dealing with co-workers. Sports! So middle class! That along with Krasinski's "drama beard" have rubbed some people the wrong way with all the quirkiness the film showcases, but for the most part I was able to get past that. I thought Krasinski did a great job. I thought Rudolph did a fine job, even though she seems to catch a lot of crap for every role she plays.

All in all, Away We Go is very enjoyable, even though some people might be put off by the quirkiness and ridiculous characters. Beneath the exterior of pretentiousness and quirkiness there is a film that most people can relate to, even if they are not in the same situation as the characters. You can imagine how you feel in their situation and, for me at least, they react exactly how I would at times. So if you can get past some of the superficial problems with the film, you'll probably enjoy it.

Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Booze Revooze: A Drinker’s Skewed View of AWAY WE GO

Ramblings: Away We Going, Going,  Gone

Final Proof: 4 Shots

You know how you go to a bar and you meet strangers you’ve always known? Sometimes you’re just hanging out and you feel comfortable and it’s not because of the place so much but because of the people. The people feel like home. They’re people you can identify with, people so sincere you want to spend more time with them because they don’t care who you are as long as you are. The kind of patron that can make any bar your bar just because they’re there. They talk and you can’t stop punctuating their sentences with “Exactly” because everything out of their mouths is in your heart. They’re the kind of people that make you want to have another drink with them because they’ve got your back and you’ve got it all in common with them. That’s the way it is with Away We Go.

i was a little buzzed on two bottles of wine (one at lunch and one at home after work), dozed off in the movie and i still give it four shots. Away We Go is just that good.

Sam Mendes is English but nobody’s perfect.

He dated, among others, Rachel Weisz and Calista Flockart but i won’t hold that against him. He’s married to Kate Winslet and i’d like to hold it against her. Why am i babbling unnecessarily about him? Because he did a freaking great job.

i’m not gonna be some anal film critic who takes you back into Mendes’ childhood and tells you about his wet dreams involving his mother and how he made the stunning American Beauty and then some other film called Revolutionary Road. i’m gonna leave that to the smart people ’cause i got too much drink on and his history isn’t my business. Alls i got to say is that he’s finished his “American Trilogy” in style.

That he can do so well with so many different kinds of movies is a testament to his talent. American Beauty was this polished though quirky american tragedy, while Away We Go was an “indie”  film in every respect except for the funding. Still, you couldn’ta guessed it wasn’t a real movie by watching it.

Another thing. The writers of this movie (Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida) did super work. First off, it’s not based on a comic book and god knows i’m pumped to see any movie where a writer hasn’t simply done a ‘cut  & paste’ from a graphic novel but actually had an original thought and was able to translate that idea into a full length film.  Not only that, but the screenplay was dead on–clever, catchy and oh my god so insightful.

For example, i’m a guy.

Miss Demeanor and i had a huge talk on the way back from the theater and i was trying to remember where i’d heard this (Miss D denies it came from her but i’m not so sure); all i know is i’m not clever enough to have thought this up on my own: Guys never completely grow up.

It’s a sad and twisted reality, and realizing it makes me pity women all the more because they have to put up with this gender that has tons of power in the modern world despite the little boy inside of us that never really goes away. Understanding this gesture from them is one of the secrets to understanding the benevolence of women.

It’s like a father who brings his kid into the bar and gives him tons of quarters to play the video games but no mattter what, the brat is always there bugging you when you’re trying to do adult things like have another round and flirt with the hot waitress who’s only flirting back because she knows you’re drunk enough to believe she’s flirting and has to worry about the tip your drunk ass is going to give her. She’s putting up with, dealing with and even encouraging the little boy in you because women are just that generous.

This acceptance on the female gender’s behalf is demonstrated flawlessly in Away We Go. The insights to relationships here is handled with such dexterity you feel like you’re getting a handjob.

Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)

Sex: 1 Shot

The movie begins with Burt (John Krasinski) under the sheet and giving head to his partner and no-way wife Verona (Maya Rudolph). Then he talks to her about how she tastes ‘different’ and in trying to ally her discomfort, they realize she’s pregnant. Very cute start to the flick and from there it only gets better.

For example, Maggie Gyllenhaal is in the movie:
And as far as the sex goes, Maggie appears on screen breast feeding her 6-year-old kid because her character is hippie that way. Here’s what it looks like in real life:
  We’ve also got Melanie Lynskey (who i‘ve already posted hot shots of in my The Informant post):
  Plus, you know me, i’m all about the Silken Butterflies: those beautiful and talented girls who grace the screen with their splendor during their oh so fleeting appearances on film. Here’s to hoping we see lots more of them.

Here’s the young Katherine Vaskevich:
To round of the talent section of the show, there was a cameo by the tragically uncredited Sari Gagnon:
Best of luck, ladies.

Drink: ½ Shot

A couple brief references…

1. In the airport when meeting someone’s sister, Burt gives the  brother-in-law a bottle of wine and he takes off right then and there to  find a corkscrew.
2. On the way to a party/bar, they drink while riding in the car and  make a forgettable toast.

Rock & Roll: 0 Shots

No rock, but the folk soundtrack suits the movie perfectly.

Boring Technical Crap

Written by: Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring

Maya Rudolph – Verona De Tessant

John Krasinski – Burt Farlander

Maggie Gyllenhaal – LN

Carmen Ejogo – Grace De Tessant

Melanie Lynskey – Munch Garnett

Katherine Vaskevich – Katya

Sari Gagnon – College Student (uncredited)

Bottom Line

Definitely see it.

(Read Less...)

Al K Hall<br />
Functional Alcoholic Slurperson<br />
(No, REALLY. Google &amp;quot;Slurperson&amp;quot; if you don't believe me.)

Last updated: 2010-04-04 16:24:44 by user08

Away We Go

Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph
Drama, 2009

A thirty something not ever getting married couple embark on a cross country journey to find out where they should settle down to have their baby after finding out that his parents are moving out of the country. Along the way they meet up with old friends and learn a little bit from each along the way.

• I liked this movie. Verona and Burt just seem like a very real couple that anyone could actually relate to. The movie is just very grounded and rooted in reality which I like to see sometimes because not everyone has a hot job in marketing and lives in a loft style NYC apartment you know?
• It has comedic moments but it isn't over the top in any way.
• Great acting and a nice message about life and a lot of things that people worry about think about on a day to day basis.

3.5 Stars

Just Me

‘Away We Go’ Tackles Beautiful Scenery with Laughs

You know those independent movies that are only available to see in cities like New York or LA, and yeteveryone is talking about them? EnterAway We Go, the new film by Academy Award winning director of American Beauty and nominated Revolutionary Road Sam Mendes. Away We Go centers on a couple, Bert and Verona on their nationwide voyage to find a nice place to settle down with their soon-to-be family, a place that they can truly call "home". The plot is one of the best parts about this funny and touching movie; it's never been done before. In a world with such adaptations and unoriginal ideas as Transformers: Revenge f the Fallen and Terminator Salvation, a quiet flick like this is pretty nice. A movie like Away We Go only comes along once in a while. A movie not wrapped up in its own self-importance or special-effects, yet a movie that doesn't even have to try to be heartwarming and downright hilarious but it is.

Away We Go opens on Burt and Verona (played beautifully by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph), um, doing it. But before anything is shown (unlike thealmost porn-free The Girlfriend Experience), Burt discovers that she's in fact pregnant. And on telling Burt's parents Jerry (Jeff Daniels, playing a wonderful smart-ass perfectly once again) and Gloria (Catherine O'Hara), they announce their moving to Berlin, Germany for the next two years, missing out on the birth. So the expecting duo decides to set out on their own quest to colonize. So "away we go" (subtitles actually come on the screen every time we venture to a new city) to Arizona, Canada and so on, every destination meeting wacky people like Lily (Allison Janney), Lowell (Jim Gaffigan, surprisingly mixed-up in his role)and LN (a key Maggie Gyllenhaal).Every stop, you'll adore more than the last.

Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (along with cool names) deliver Mendes' sleeper hit to new heights: an actual comedy. Not up its own ass with how righteous it is; political correctness is already funny as hell in the real world. Krasinski makes the movie, however, playing a comical Burt Farlander. See, you can't even say the name without laughing! It totally proves that the Office prodigy andSaturday Night Live prize have what it takes to be actual movie stars. From beginning to end, Away We Go is a must-see.

4/5 stars.

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-Nick

Moon Minis - Away We Go

John Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) team up for slightly more serious roles than their past characters in Sam Mendes' indie dramady about a couple in search of the perfect home for their new baby, which they weren't exactly ready for. Krasinski and Rudolph are believable as a couple, and their characters are sweet and sour enough to make a struggling relationship work on-screen.

The two jump from state to state (and sometimes country), finding people on the way to help them in their resolve to have the baby. The thing is, it seems both characters know a lot of people who are parents with philosophical advice to give on the matter. It's a bit unrealistic, especially when Krasinski is subject to a few emotional tirades from the secondary cast members, but it also becomes some of the most rewarding parts of the film. Mendes has become attuned to where the hard and soft of the films need to be combined, and in Away We Go, the tender bits are widely interspersed with some very funny comedy.

It's a blessing that Away We Go is so funny, because many comedies in this vein have trouble lifting the jokes above small chuckles. But the quirks of every character had me laughing out loud, not because the comedy was so exaggerated but because the outstanding work of the actors had me laughing at the subtle nuances of the cast. Jeff Daniels, with only a small role, does a superb (marvelous!) job as Krasinski's father whose love of adjectives exceeds even my own.

The end may drop the comedy shtick for more of the serious nature we expect, but it never wavers in its ability to affect the viewer. As Krasinski and Rudolph reach their home, hoping it works for them, Rudolph exclaiming, "I really fucking hope so," so too do we. We've been on this journey, we've seen its ups and downs for good people. And in essence, they are we. Eventually, away we all go.

Last updated: 2010-01-17 01:37:30 by user01