Greetings again from the darkness. With American Beauty, Road to Perdition and last year's Revolutionary Road on his resume, director Sam Mendes (hubby to Kate Winslet) has proved he often sees the dark and bleak in situations. He is not exactly a glass half-full kind of guy. Although not a complete departure from his standard of downer, Away We Go offers a glimmer of hope through the eyes of a young couple.
We are treated to the most unusual prospect of a road trip involving a very pregnant woman (played by the terrific Maya Rudolph of SNL fame). She and her baby's father, John Krasinski (The Office), take off on a search to find the best place to live and raise their kid. This trip leads to a series of vignettes that can best be described as NUTS! The motivation for the trip comes when Burt's (Krasinski) parents, played by Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels, announce they are moving to Budapest one month before the baby is due ... and couldn't be any happier. So on the road Burt and Verona (Maya) meet up with old friend Allison Janney, who is a loud, foul-mouthed woman stuck in a nowhere marriage with two kids who realized their mother never lost that self-centeredness most grow out of. Her husband, played by comedian Jim Gaffigan, is just bitter and miserable.
Quaint Madison brings the "not from this planet" Maggie Gyllenhaal (Burt's not really cousin) who seems stuck somewhere between the late 60's and, let's say ... the planet Mars. Convinced strollers are the devil's work, this segment brings some of the funniest moments in the movie.
Finally, Montreal brings the couple some hope. At least initially. Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey have built a family through adoption, though we learn, it still isn't quite enough. This segment offers one of the film's finest and most bare to the bone moments of true life.
While there is more to the film (Tuscon and Miami to be exact), the point is that Mendes and this fascinating script deliver real life and proof of the adage ... Nobody's perfect ... oh, and one of my favorites ... other people are weird.
I wish this film would find a wider audience, not just for the wonderful script and journey, but also for Maya Rudolph's excellent work as a real person looking for answers.
We are treated to the most unusual prospect of a road trip involving a very pregnant woman (played by the terrific Maya Rudolph of SNL fame). She and her baby's father, John Krasinski (The Office), take off on a search to find the best place to live and raise their kid. This trip leads to a series of vignettes that can best be described as NUTS! The motivation for the trip comes when Burt's (Krasinski) parents, played by Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels, announce they are moving to Budapest one month before the baby is due ... and couldn't be any happier. So on the road Burt and Verona (Maya) meet up with old friend Allison Janney, who is a loud, foul-mouthed woman stuck in a nowhere marriage with two kids who realized their mother never lost that self-centeredness most grow out of. Her husband, played by comedian Jim Gaffigan, is just bitter and miserable.
Quaint Madison brings the "not from this planet" Maggie Gyllenhaal (Burt's not really cousin) who seems stuck somewhere between the late 60's and, let's say ... the planet Mars. Convinced strollers are the devil's work, this segment brings some of the funniest moments in the movie.
Finally, Montreal brings the couple some hope. At least initially. Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey have built a family through adoption, though we learn, it still isn't quite enough. This segment offers one of the film's finest and most bare to the bone moments of true life.
While there is more to the film (Tuscon and Miami to be exact), the point is that Mendes and this fascinating script deliver real life and proof of the adage ... Nobody's perfect ... oh, and one of my favorites ... other people are weird.
I wish this film would find a wider audience, not just for the wonderful script and journey, but also for Maya Rudolph's excellent work as a real person looking for answers.