This film is right up my alley, sweet, honest and with a nice soundtrack. I remember seeing "Away We Go" about a year ago while doing something else, distracted by some meaningless endeavor. Of course, it left me unimpressed. But now that I've seen it consciously, listening to the well written dialogue, watching the wonderful performances by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph I have to admit that this film is something of a hidden gem.
Directed by Sam Mendes who also helmed my all time favorite film "American Beauty", it's about a couple who are having a baby and trying figure out where and how to raise it by traveling through the US. It's a story driven by characters that are well fleshed out and that we can sympathize with, touching on subjects such as relationships, commitment and what it means to be a parent nowadays.
Part road movie, part dramedy the film at times feels somehow episodic. After being introduced to Krasinski's Burt and Rudolph's Verona every encounter with new characters is compartmentalized into different set pieces. Some of those are witty and dry such as the one with Burt's parents, others are sad and realistic and then there are some that are just borderline hilarious (watch out for a crazy New Age Maggie Gyllenhaal).
One can argue that the film suffers from the broken down structure, never adding up to a cohesive and satisfying whole, but it's undeniable that the scenes that are standing out from the rest really leave an impression. Wouldn't it be for the dedication of the cast, this film might be entirely forgettable but thanks to the performances and a good soundtrack "Away We Go" is a thoughtful, if flawed, little film.
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