Away We Go (2009)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Verona expecting their first child, Burt's parents inexplicably decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be.
4 connections found
View:
4 connections, in both directions
What critics compared Away We Go to
With Charlie barreling through the Midwest prairies in his truck headed for a nighttime carnival of vibrant lights and bustling sounds, the opening sequence is made all the more pretty by the use of Alexi Murdoch's quixotic "All of My Days" on the soundtrack, a choice that would be more inspired if 2009's " Away We Go " hadn't beat it to the punch.
Verona's former boss and buddy Lily (Allison Janney, TV's "The West Wing," "Juno") lives in Phoenix but she's become the type of thoroughly inappropriate boisterous mom who not only embarrasses her teenage children but anyone who witnesses their embarrassment (of her daughter - 'Alison's a dyke with junk in her trunk.').
Allison Janney (2007's " Juno ") is a hoot as Lily, an obnoxiously outspoken mother who gives advice on parenting without really knowing how to do it herself.
Mendes's eye also fails him, as he resorts to aping the cartoonish visuals of Juno and Garden State, two movies he evidently wishes he made.
In the alterna-quirk spirit of Garden State and Juno comes Away We Go, the tale of a thirtyish couple ready to settle down but unsure of where.
The gifted Allison Janney, for instance, is stuck playing a more obvious, less funny version of her blunt role in "Juno."
So let's say an Oscar-wining director was inclined to take the 2007 crowd-pleaser " Juno " and strip it of its too-hip dialog, its too-cute wardrobe, and its too-self-conscious precociousness.
A step down though it is from her award-worthy breakthrough turn in 2009's " Away We Go ," Maya Rudolph still manages a lot with a little as Deanne, Kurt's strong-willed wife.
The performances are workmanlike, with Chris Messina (2009's " Away We Go ") leading the pack as Detective Bowden, a recovering alcoholic who has been through enough tragedy to know hell sometimes exists on earth.