‘Away We Go’: A Loveable, Offbeat Romantic Comedy
Jesse
Jun 24, 2009
Director: Sam Mendes
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: R
For: Those that enjoy skit-by-skit, act-by-act progressive comedies, Audiences that want to watch something a bit more offbeat
Not For: Slapstick romantic comedy enthusiasts, Impatient viewers
Many people associate words with different locations. For instance, the first image that appears in most minds when they hear Southern California is sunshine. Another example is the wind with Chicago and so on. Director Sam Mendes plays on this interesting idea of word association to a much deeper extreme, wrapped around a romantic comedy genre that is much different than his usual darker and dramatic films. It’s an odd pairing and eventually, pacing and balance issues become apparent due to the act-by-act approach to the plot. Yet the core of Away We Go is a fun and clever road trip that sets up some great, situational set pieces and strong writing.
Away We Go spotlights a couple, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), who are expecting a child soon and trying to find a place not only for their child but to figure out what exactly makes good parenting. Their travels take them all over both the United States and Canada as they visit their in-laws, relatives, friends, and all those in-between who try to teach them life lessons and coax them to stay. Burt and Verona become part of an adventure of both joys and misfortune as they try their best to make sense of a turbulent life.
There are some, indeed, clever and great moments within this romantic comedy, yet it does run into a few hurdles. Most of these problems happen because of the episodic structure of the film. Since the film is structured on a skit-by-skit basis, it is susceptible to easily be affected by some balance issues between the narrative points. What this results in are a couple of scenes earlier in the film being stronger than the latter ones. This is not necessarily to blame the editing but perhaps more so with the syntax of the original build-up of the script. The drive to the climax is never really felt in the film and is due to the fact that the bigger impact moments come earlier than later.
Pacing is also affected from not only the strange balance issue but also due to some seemingly unnecessary moments. A good example is with the landscape shots. Mendes loves to look at the various locations Burt and Verona travel to and pans through them constantly. However, instead of adding weight to the location of the their travels, it acts more like filler to give the short film more length even with some smart cinematography.
One other strange observation is the lacking of a great ending. Mendes may have been going for a subdued approach here yet even then, after the numerous encounters and adventures the couple has gone through, the joy and emotional high of seeing the end is met with a scene that does logically make sense yet does not give the audience the same emotions that the characters are feeling in the moment. Perhaps an ending that happens sooner than what was shown or a more unexpected or emotionally high connection would have benefited the movie to tie up the emotional package.
These points of contention, though, do not affect the overall enjoyability and thoughtfulness of the overall product of Away We Go though. The cast, for instance, is fun to watch, not only because there are a lot of familiar faces in the crowd acting completely bonkers but also because they reflect their parts well. A special commendation needs to go out for the great believability and chemistry between Krasinski and Rudolph. Although they both work their comedic flair to an appropriate degree, their conversations and interactions never seem forced or contrived, it comes naturally which works and blends flawlessly.
All of this comes together because of the clever writing that brings the characters together in a unique way. There have been complaints by other critics and viewers that the characters, other than Burt and Verona, are shown as incompetent caricatures and comments that every lifestyle other than the main characters are considered not the correct way to live or be in a relationship. In actuality, these comments are glossing over the fact that a) they are usually comedic (or dramatic) stops to reinforce the main relationship and b) they are shown more as a spectrum of the variety of relationships and styles put forth by different people. The scene prior to the ending reinforces this notion as even Burt and Verona come face to face with each other to discuss just the amount of people they have met throughout their travels. The strong script makes these situations not only funny but engaging and usually memorable.
One other special commendation needs to go to the cinematography, which while never completely original or noticeable, is always trying to grab a different angle to give the audience a tactile view and location.
Away We Go is one of Mendes’ more accessible works although his heavy thematic undertones can still be easily seen throughout the film. It has some clunky issues such as an unbalanced narrative arc, in which some plot segments are stronger than the latter, and a climax that never reaches the rest of the film’s energy. But going beyond that, Mendes has crafted a clever film with help from a varied cast and a strong chemistry the main players, Krasinski and Rudolph. There are definite laughs to be had that lean more dark and offbeat but still end up being entertaining and insightful with some good cinematography rounding out the film’s stronger points. Away We Go may not ultimately be as fresh in its originality but successful in bringing forth a wide array of ideas about relationships and child bearing in a humorous way.
The Wie muses: ***½ out of *****
Ratings:
*****: Excellent
**** to ****½: Great
*** to ***½: Good
** to **½: Mediocre
* to *½: Bad
0 to ½: Terrible
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