"Away We Go" is a surreal look at the life of a non-traditional couple struggling to find themselves as adults and future parents. Director Sam Mendes is not afraid to look for the insanity hidden within middle-class America as proven through his prior works, the Oscar winning "American Beauty" and recent award hopeful "Revolutionary Road." While other critics may be willing to allow Mendes to slide by based on his pedigree, I am unwilling to promote this lesser work as up to Mendes's usual standards.
Verona (Maya Rudolph; TV's "Saturday Night Live") and Burt (John Krasinski; TV's "The Office") are a couple in their early 30s who just got pregnant. They live near Burt's parents in a very modest home. When the child's grandparents decide to move to Belgium before the baby is born, the couple must reconsider their current living situation. Wanting to be close to family or friends, Verona and Burt go on an extended road trip to visit people and places that could be their new home. Going from Arizona to Montreal to Miami seems pretty extreme for a couple that the viewer is led to believe has monetary limitations. During their travels, Verona and Burt test the strength of their bond as they meet others in many different types of relationships. This felt like a cross-country journey with a pair of modern hippies, who are the most normal people in the film. Yikes.
"Away We Go" gets off to a bad start with some strong sexual content that does not match the tone of the rest of the film. It feels like a warning for the viewer without a strong stomach or alternative sensibilities to turn away now. The supporting characters feel much too outlandish to be real, though the story expects you to take them somewhat seriously. Hidden within this "double wink" comedy are supposed to be laugh-inducing moments that don't really come.
Rudolph and Krasinski's chemistry is the sole reason to keep watching "Away We Go." They feel real in a story that does not. The supporting characters become less grating as the couple's travels continue. Verona and Burt's college friends and Burt's brother and niece are remarkably sane compared to other family and friends. The movie does not know whether it wants to be taken dramatically or instead wants to be funny and therefore does neither particularly well. At the end of the picture, a viewer may find a soft spot for this imperfect couple but mostly because the alternatives are so awful.
A small subset of viewers (and critics) who like art-house and independent pictures will hail this as another Mendes masterpiece. For the rest of us, it is a hard to believe movie with underwhelming storytelling that alienates rather than inspires.
Rated R for language and some sexual content.
