Sam Mendes had a unmitigated pattern of directing a new film every 3 years after American Beauty (1999), Road to Perdition (2002), Jarhead (2005), and Revolutionary Road (2008). Imagine my surprise after last year’s fantastic, but (mostly) failed Oscar-competitor, finding out about Mende’s indie comedy-drama Away We Go. At first thought it seemed like a fun project with The Office‘s John Krasinski and SNL‘s Maya Rudolph as leads. Could these two actors compare with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet? After the first trailer, (which could be mistaken as a Juno remake) I realized Mendes’ goal. This is a light comedy with no heavy intention, nor award clamoring. The film tells a worthwhile story about life, relationships, and young love with a few minor pitfalls as we encounter some over-the-top characters and hip dialogue of the same nature.
The story, based on a the first produced screenplay by real-life couple Dave Eggers (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Vendela Vida (the co-editor of literary magazine The Believer), follows Burt Farlander (Krasinski) and Verona De Tessant (Rudolph) as couple who, while expecting their first child, are searching for a place to settle down. Along their journey they encounter a range of characters, each teaching the couple a lesson about life.
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The characters that the couple encounter lead to both the best parts of the film, and the very worst. The first set we meet are Bert’s parents, played hilariously by Jeff Daniels (The Squid and The Whale, Dumb and Dumber) and Catharine O’Hara (For Your Consideration). Daniels’ delivery, along with O’Hara’s ‘open’ personality, present us with the first look on why Bert’s childhood wasn’t exactly normal. The couple come to realize what they thought was home, didn’t have to be. We travel from city to city (blatantly told to us by title cards with massive white text on a black background) in search for friendship, lessons and a permanent place to settle down. Arizona is the first stop, as we meet one of Verona’s forner co-workers in Arizona, played by Allison Janney (Juno). This is where the film hits a bump. It was a great surprise seeing Jim Gaffigan (17 Again) as the weary husband, but Janney’s performance is so over-the-top and ridiculous that it detracts from the realistic issues and situations the film attempts to confront. The couple also meet up with one of Burt’s childhood friends (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is now an extreme new age hippy. Her scenes become very redunant, but ultimately lead to a satisfying conclusion. The film hits its peak when we visit old college friends of the couple. Chris Messina (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) plays the husband of large family. He has one monolugue that conveys more emotion than anything else in the film. One of the most underappreciated actors today is Paul Schneider (The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford, Parks and Recreations) and he appears as Burt’s brother. Without giving away much of the plot Schneider delivers another message that almost lives up to the previous. The film is worth seeing for those events, along with a handful of genuine comedic moments.
There is nothing more to the plot then visiting place after place and meeting new characters so I wasn’t suprised by the generic ending. The film ends exactly how you suspect, and overstays its welcome by an annoying scene between the couple followed by a drawn out finale. The performances by Krasinski and Rudolph sustain throughout the picture (something I was worried about going in) but they don’t help the viewer connect since the focus lies in the secondary characters rather than the leads. The music in the film is mostly by Alexi Murdoch and fits the “indie” feel that Mendes was going for, sounding like something straight off the Garden State soundtrack.
Away We Go succeeds in being an enjoyable dramedy that deals with some serious issues while never overstepping its limits. Krasinksi and Rudolph, while underdeveloped, suite their roles with a unique onscreen charm. This a great date movie, but don’t expect it to reach the height of Mendes’ other works.
7 out of 10
What did you think of Away We Go?