Review of Away We Go (2009) by Bartek F — 04 Apr 2010

This is such a wonderful movie here. Away We Go, Sam Mendes' fifth stint at directing, shows that the man is starting to finally settle down, get accustomed to his palette and find his way in the film-making spectrum. It's a superbly composed movie that he's made here; one which has all the elements that it needs delivered in all the right doses and in all the right ways. What comes out of it is a great experience; perhaps not one of the best films of the year, but a terrific one which should still get mention anyway. It's well-conceived, well-made, well-executed and above all, just really enjoyable to watch.

The opening scene is just so great. It's hilarious at that, setting the bar for a great many aspects. The screenplay is zany, clever and fantastically original, as already seen by the small amount of dialogue spoken here but more dominantly through the irreverent scenario dreamed up. Then, the characters are painted in a way that does not change for the rest of the film: gaiety, cheekiness, down-to-earth and loving are the attributes pinned to our leading duo, and we love them for what their personalities emanate. So basically, Away We Go really grabs our hearts with its appealing side from the very beginning and we really are keen to see more. That's a good sign if any.

Thankfully, the rest of the movie indeed delivers all the brief joy that we've experienced within the great first five minutes. Away We Go retains this exuberant, bubbly and enthusiastic mindset and carries it through with an exploration of human emotions that, for the most part, run the gamut. It's not all ubiquitous and constant elation, with us and the characters living the hippie dream of paradise and pot forever and forever; no, there's conflict in this story too – not all is well in paradise. But the dilemmas in the world of our protagonist couple are ones that we become totally immersed in as much as we laugh with them in moments of merriment. So you get the point: we don't just find Away We Go interesting, but become intimated with all parts of its story.

From the outside it looks like Sam Mendes is making another Juno or another Little Miss Sunshine; there's even a pregnancy and a road trip that take up most of the film, although ultimately they're more coincidences than anything else. The script, however, is something like Diablo Cody would've written for and the characters introduced are just as idiosyncratic as a certain family from New Mexico. So overall, Away We Go is nothing new in terms of its genre: a hip, chic, indie movie. But this movie is more mature. It's not aimed necessarily for teeny-boppers, and is meant to be more of a dual-character study with plenty of thematic depth – like I said earlier: it ain't all sunshine and lollipops here.

What exactly is it even about though? What exactly are the story lines which get us so emotionally involved? Well this couple comprises of Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), two twenty-something year-olds who've been dating for several years. In fact, Verona is pregnant, although the fact that she doesn't believe in marriage puts a spanner in the works for Burt. But the two get along so amiably all the time that they don't let it get in between them. Instead, they focus on where they're going to live with the baby; and away they go around America, Canada wherever to find the perfect environment.

The overall gist of the story may sound incredulously boring as well as annoyingly and constantly optimistic in its setup. But in between the hilarious pre-title credits scene and the touching final scenes is everything that a movie needs. The couple do run into bumps along the way – why is it that bad parents can continue to maintain families whilst good parents can't have babies? You'll understand what I'm talking about when you see the movie, and you'll find that some of the points are unexpectedly thought-provoking, if nothing staggering. But the dramatic side of Away We Go does work superbly, and does its bit to hold the movie together.

But perhaps it's the balance between that and the more bubbly side of Away We Go that makes the film special. It's a poise and sense of stability between the two different 'genres' that really keeps the movie driving, as well as giving it points for a fine sense of structure. What's more predominant in this film is the comedic element, and there are plenty of laughs in the movie; much of which comes out of the cheekiness and irreverence of it all. The script, penned by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, is a winning one, and with Sam Mendes' direction, we could direct our inference to the movie's success largely on them.

But we mustn't neglect the fabulous cast though. Both Rudolph and Krasinski are perfectly cast as this congenial, young couple and both put on surprisingly strong performances. And their supporting team members may only appear briefly in what appears to be almost vignette-like subplots, but their 15 seconds of fame are ones that we relish. Take for instance Allison Janney's bizarre but uproarious turn as a rambunctious who speaks freely of everyone like a good gossip girl and who seems to be intoxicated all the time. Such eccentricities in the cast and the story are what gives Away We Go vibrancy and colour, and we enjoy this ride from start to finish – and we most certainly would like to do it all again.

Three and a half stars, with a minor minus, out of four.