Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Road trip has promise, but... are we there yet?
Krasinski and Rudolph get their motors running, get out on that highway in Away We Go. (ALLIANCE FILMS)
Thirtysomething, pregnant, and living in a ramshackle house with a cardboard window, Verona (Maya Rudolph) asks a question of her lover Burt (John Krasinski) that many a thirtysomething couple ask of themselves: "Are we f***-ups?"
The question is especially pertinent because the baby is only a few months away, and their closest family members, Burt's self-focused parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels), are moving to Europe just a few weeks before the baby is due.
Looking on the bright side, the couple adopt the notion that for every closed cardboard window, there is an open door to relocation, especially since they both have jobs that can be done from anywhere. (She illustrates medical textbooks and he sells insurance to insurance companies by phone.)
Thus begins a whimsical tour of North America -- and its widely varied parenting styles -- in this serio-comic road movie from the usually more sombre director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Reservation Road).
Like floating seeds looking for a piece of earth to grow, Burt and Verona float from place to place, visiting Verona's single sister in Tucson before bouncing to Phoenix. There, Verona's old pal Lily (Allison Janney) has blossomed from good-time gal to full-on neurotic harridan, ragging on her unloved kids one minute, and coming onto Burt the next, while her angry, passive-aggressive husband (Jim Gaffigan) slow-burns in the background.
Taking off to Wisconsin, Burt discovers his childhood friend Ellen (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has become a condescending New Age matriarch who believes strollers are evil ("Why would I want to push my child away from me?").
A visit to Montreal convinces them the urbane Canadian city is the way to go (although neither Mendes nor the characters seem to notice it's a French-Canadian metropolis) until the two are called to Miami where Burt's brother Courtney (Paul Schneider) has just been freshly abandoned by his wife, leaving Courtney's daughter confused and despondent.
As with many an episodic movie, some episodes are better than others. Thanks to Janney's bravado performance, the Lily segment has undeniable train-wreck appeal, equally horrifying and fascinating. The Ellen segment is broad and off-putting; It feels like a right-winger's dark fantasy of what liberals do behind closed doors.
But the overall tone of the film, augmented by a folk-tinged soundtrack from songwriter Alexi Murdoch, is wistful and contemplative. Krasinski and Rudolph, both known for their comedic work, firmly ground their characters in what is ultimately a serious meditation on parenting and the myriad options open to those bringing a new life into the world.
MovieReview
Away We Go
Starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph
Grant Park
14A
3 out of five stars
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 19, 2009 d7
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Arts & Entertainment
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- Two Mounties shot and wounded in rural area southeast of Edmonton
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Slain woman appears before jury on video
- Should the federal government be spending $7.5 million on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?
- City family donates $1 million for endowed research chair in cardiology
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- LeAnn Rimes in pain following 'minor surgery'
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Group's speed-limit sign removed from Pembina Highway
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- Original Joe's, Elephant & Castle expanding
- OMG! Candy kings back at it
- Task force to review 2011 flood
- Winnipeg software company ranked top employer
- Easy, economical, healthy soup
- Lesson about war, power told with Shaw's comic touch
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Time, it appears, is on Assad's side
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- 4 dead in northern Ontario plane crash
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.