Away We Go has an incredible mix of ingredients: A script co-written by Dave Eggers (author of
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), directed by Sam Mendes (
American Beauty,
Revolutionary Road), starring the not-hugely-famous-but-always-excellent Maya Rudolph (
Saturday Night Live) and John Krasinski (
The Office), and featuring an astounding supporting cast that includes Catherine O’Hara, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, and more. What’s even more incredible is that all these ingredients blend together into a truly marvelous but very non-traditional romantic comedy. For one thing, Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are already a couple and expecting their first child. What they don’t know is where they’re going to live--so they set off on a tour of disparate locations (Tucson, Montreal, Miami) where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. The social and emotional collisions that follow are sometimes very funny and sometimes heartwrenching.
Away We Go starts quietly and, through subtle yet consistently delightful scenes, builds to a surprisingly potent end. This is a gem of a movie, not to be missed.
--Bret Fetzer
