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Away We Go is a polarizing film. No, seriously, check out its review on Rotten Tomatoes and see for yourself. Some either call it a breath of fresh air, while others deem it arrogant and smug. The film is even polarizing for The Movie Press team. Both Greg and Clark let out a disinterested "meh" at the end of the film, while I was undoubtedly more affected.

For some reason, Away We Go truly struck a chord in me--maybe the flick is more geared towards women than the heavily showcased John Krasinski silly antics trailer would lead you to believe. It's a film about a couple searching for a place to raise their child and about what truly makes a home.

Subtly and intimately directed by Sam Mendes (yes, THE Sam Mendes, of American Beauty fame) and written by celebrated hipster author Dave Eggers and his wife, Vendela Vida, Away We Go opens with Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) in bed, which sets up the film centered on a quiet and loving relationship without any huge problems. The couple discovers they're pregnant and when Burt's parents announce they're moving to Belgium (WTF?), the couple decides they want a home, surrounded by friends and family, and embarks on a journey to find that place.

The critics who have hated Away We Go say that nothing really happens in the film, which isn't too far off. There are no big obstacles, no big fights, no are-they-aren't-they predicaments. Burt and Verona are stable in their love, and it's fucking refreshing.

Other criticisms arise from the grossly caricatured supporting players--the crazy, drunk mom and the wacky feminist studies professor who won't use a stroller--and, I'm not going to disagree with them. The supporting characters played for holier than thou laughs don't feel real. But, the characters that aren't merely butts of jokes are genuine and touching.
The picaresque film feels a little too goofy for the first half without any true heart to it. But come the second half, when the couple meets up with old college friends in Montreal, the plot certainly does thicken.

This is a film about two "fuck ups" (Verona's words), who have struggled to grow up amidst dysfunctional families until they decided they didn't need become adults. So, they pushed it off until a baby decided otherwise. It's a story about what it means to actually mature into a person who takes care of someone else. It's a film about what it means to be a real family. And that's something that as a child of a so-called broken home and as a women potentially scared of missing my baby-making window, I can totally relate to. That's not to say Away We Go is a chick flick--far from it. It's a film that is ultimately about love, but perhaps dudes won't be able to quite relate to the motherhood element of it.

--Darcie Duttweiler
 


Comments

Clark Herer

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:25:23

This film grew on me a lot after I saw it. I caught myself reflecting on it quite a bit in the days after the screening. I probably would have liked the beginning a lot more had I known the end wasn't going to be a total piece of shit.

 

Greg

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:11:03

I was more friendly than 'meh'. I liked it, I just didn't love it. I thought it was good.

 



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