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Away We Go (2009)

Director: Sam Mendes

Time Out rating

Average user rating

6 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Sam Mendes began shooting ‘Away We Go’ while the editing suite was still warm from ‘Revolutionary Road’. You can imagine why, after that gruelling anatomy of a failed marriage, he was drawn to the story of a happy and well-adjusted, if under-prepared, couple on the threshold of family life. Let’s hope it was more fun to make, anyway, because it’s pretty insufferable to watch.

The script, by husband and wife Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, follows semi-slacker thirtysomethings Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) as they search for the perfect site to raise their unborn child, zipping from Arizona to Wisconsin, Colorado to Carolina. Along the way, they encounter relatives and old friends including Burt’s hippy-dippy parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) and neo-feminist childhood pal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Verona’s braying former colleague (Allison Janney) and two old buddies (Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey) and their adopted kids.

Krasinski and Rudolph are amiable company and there’s some nice scenic photography from Ellen Kuras (shot mostly in Connecticut). But the film’s laboured humour and self-satisfaction grate, as does its twee indie-acoustic soundtrack. That every supporting character is depicted as insufferable or pitiable or both would be bad enough; what’s worse is that the couple discover nothing about themselves that wasn’t obvious from the opening, unless you count the banal dictum that there’s no place like home. A screenplay that jokes about the lack of tension between its leads should at least have something to say about their interaction with the rest of the world. This doesn’t.

Author: Ben Walters 2009-09-15 10:38:10

Time Out London Issue 2039: 17-23 September, 2009

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User reviews of this film

bizzybee said...

Posted on Oct 11 2009 18:53 I completely agree with this review. I'm very disappointed by this film... Could have used a script doctor. I feel that many of the characters were under-developed..

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Mick said...

Posted on Sep 21 2009 15:07 dreadful

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Yannis said...

Posted on Sep 21 2009 14:57 Cannot believe what i am reading. I totally disagree with Ben Walters. Away We Go is one of the best films i've seen lately and i have seen almost everything... Realistic characters, powerful dialogue and majestic directing made me feel so good after seeing the film. People can relate themselves to the story something that is rare nowadys in mainstream cinema. Well done, Sam Mendes!

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lucy sheridan said...

Posted on Sep 21 2009 14:40 This was an absolutely harmless and enjoyable film about the pressures and fears of modern parenthood. How Time Out can justify this level of spite in a review is a mystery to me especially as it has elected to reward the revolting and utterly pointless remake of 'The Firm' three stars!

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Michael said...

Posted on Sep 19 2009 08:15 Ben Walters is spot-on. The humour is heavy-handed; the main characters dull; the story a series of random encounters that go nowhere and mean nothing; and such weak and juvenile attempts at satire that you have to groan. It could have been a great film, because the hysteria that pervades American life all over the continent deserves a biting satire, and American parenthood would be a good place to start, but this film fails miserably.

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Jones said...

Posted on Sep 16 2009 12:48 I saw this film on Wednesday and couldn't disagree with Ben Walters more.
The humour feels very natural and is far from laboured, the whole film is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the usual romantic tripe on offer.
It is a delightful little film which will leave all but the most bitter among us with a smile.

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