Review: Away We Go (2009)

Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition)

Cast: John Krasinski (The Office, Leatherheads), Maya Rudolph (SNL, Idiocracy), Jeff Daniels (Pleasantville, Fly Away Home), Catherine O'Hara (Best in Show), Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, Secretary), Chris Messina (Julie & Julia, Six Feet Under), Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men), Jim Gaffigan (My Boys, 17 Again), Allison Janney (The West Wing)

The Deal: With a baby on the way, Burt (Kransinski) and Verona (Rudolph) travel across the country in search of the perfect place to settle down and start their family. Their journey takes them from Phoenix, to Montreal, to Madison, and to Miami, and each stop teaches them something about what they want and don't want in their future.

Thoughts: Away We Go is very charming as it relies on its greatest strength, honesty. It takes a very realistic and honest look into what makes a functional relationship and how a couple must do what's best for them and not what other people think is best. On top of this, the film adds a constant string of straight up and awkwardly funny moments. During their stops, they visit old friends. Some are dysfunctional, some are literally crazy, and other seem perfect on the outside but must deal with struggles of their own. Each stop teaches Burt and Verona a lot about what they want to do with their life, and you can't help but hope for the two to get the happy, normal life they so desperately want.

Krasinski and Rudolf have pretty good chemistry on screen. They truly feel like an odd couple that many people misunderstand, but deep down, not only are they perfect for each other, but they are more normal than one would guess at first glance. Gyllenhaal was in approximately 15 minutes of the film, but it'd be nearly impossible not to remember her role. Her and her husband were way off the deep end with their beliefs (they are deathly afraid of strollers, for one thing). When Burt and Verona are finally pushed over the edge, the ensuing argument with Gyllenhaal's character is one of the funniest of the whole movie. The shear oddity of the character is unforgettable.

Early in the film, Burt and Verona make it clear that one of their biggest fears it becoming f*&@ ups. In their travels, they essentially view all ends of the spectrum when it comes to parenthood. They view the bad parents (Lily and Lowell) who have little care over what their kids do or hear, the really good and happily involved parents (Tom and Munch), and the absolutely strange parents (LN and Roderick). Now I've already mentioned that Gyllenhaal's character LN has some very far out beliefs that will most certainly isolate her children from others later in life, but I'd like to throw some focus to Tom and Munch. This couple really played to the emotional side of the film. They're adoptive parents due to some unfortunate events, and as we learn more about their situation, you can't help but feel incredibly sorry for them. When they get together with Burt and Verona, the following scenes are some of the most powerful in the film.

Verdict: Away We Go is a funny, honest, heartwarming, and an entertaining look into what goes into a relationship and starting a family. It's well worth watching. ☆☆☆☆