Arts & Entertainment

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Road trip has promise, but... are we there yet?

By: Randall King

Posted: 06/19/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

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.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

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

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