Away We Go Details

2009

Rated:
80
from 121 members

Starring	John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Carmen Ejogo
Director	Sam Mendes
Genres	Comedy

Away We Go

Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty) from an original screenplay by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, this funny and heartfelt film follows the journey of an expectant couple (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph), as they travel the U.S. in search of the perfect place to put down roots and raise their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time.

Starring	John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Carmen Ejogo, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Josh Hamilton, Cheryl Hines, Allison Janney, Melanie Lynskey
Director	Sam Mendes
Studio	E1 ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 37 mins
Certificate
Genres	Comedy
Language	DVD: English
Released	DVD: 01 Feb 2010 Production year: 2009
Format	DVD

Critics' reviews (2) of Away We Go
View all
Sam Mendes' poignant comedy/drama is a must-see. read more »
- Tom Charity,
- LOVEFiLM
Most helpful member's review of Away We Go
View all
28 out of 28 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

Pleasant offering from Mendes

This witty life-drama begins when a couple discover they are going to be parents for the first time, and the journey they take through the film (literal and emotional) has them wondering what type of parents they will be, and where they want to raise their children. The physical jouney sees them visiting friends and family across the US, seeing how they cope (or, in some cases, fail to cope) with the struggle of parenthood. The emotional journey sees them tackling their own inner fears, or upbringing, attempting to come to terms with the new responsibility they have.

This is one of those pleasant, life-affirming movies that doesn't really build to anything, but just takes a step back to look at a key moment in someone's life. The scattering of humour is not as hip and cool as, say, Juno (a similar tale of coping with newfound responsibility), and can be compared with, say, the antics of Sideways. A mature tale, with a very likeable lead couple. John Krasinski, from the US version of The Office, shines throughout as the laid back Burt, whilst Maya Rudolph, of Saturday Night Live fame, delivers the more emotional role as Verona. A scattering of well known faces supply support, such as Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara as Burt's parents, and Alison Janney as the man-eating Lily. However, the standout scene stealer of support is Maggie Gyllenhaal as the spaced out, modern hippy 'LN', an old friend of Burt's whom he shares the laid back nature with, but comes to realise not as much as he believed.

The direction and pacing of the film give us enough time to get under the skin of these brief enconters with friends and family, and show us a diverse range of parenting skills from the good to the terrible. Nice touches of lingering scenic shots let us enjoy the journey across and around the US along with the couple, and all is complemented by a delightful musical score.

This is pretty much the type of film that we have come to expect from Sam Mendes, director of such films as American Beauty, Road To Perdition, and Revolutionary Road.
- - Meako from Sheffield
  - Posted 17 Jun 2009 15:52
Most recent members' review of Away We Go
View all
28 out of 28 people found this review helpful

[Highly rated reviewer]

Pleasant offering from Mendes

This witty life-drama begins when a couple discover they are going to be parents for the first time, and the journey they take through the film (literal and emotional) has them wondering what type of parents they will be, and where they want to raise their children. The physical jouney sees them visiting friends and family across the US, seeing how they cope (or, in some cases, fail to cope) with the struggle of parenthood. The emotional journey sees them tackling their own inner fears, or upbringing, attempting to come to terms with the new responsibility they have.

This is one of those pleasant, life-affirming movies that doesn't really build to anything, but just takes a step back to look at a key moment in someone's life. The scattering of humour is not as hip and cool as, say, Juno (a similar tale of coping with newfound responsibility), and can be compared with, say, the antics of Sideways. A mature tale, with a very likeable lead couple. John Krasinski, from the US version of The Office, shines throughout as the laid back Burt, whilst Maya Rudolph, of Saturday Night Live fame, delivers the more emotional role as Verona. A scattering of well known faces supply support, such as Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara as Burt's parents, and Alison Janney as the man-eating Lily. However, the standout scene stealer of support is Maggie Gyllenhaal as the spaced out, modern hippy 'LN', an old friend of Burt's whom he shares the laid back nature with, but comes to realise not as much as he believed.

The direction and pacing of the film give us enough time to get under the skin of these brief enconters with friends and family, and show us a diverse range of parenting skills from the good to the terrible. Nice touches of lingering scenic shots let us enjoy the journey across and around the US along with the couple, and all is complemented by a delightful musical score.

This is pretty much the type of film that we have come to expect from Sam Mendes, director of such films as American Beauty, Road To Perdition, and Revolutionary Road.
- - Meako from Sheffield
  - Posted 17 Jun 2009 15:52
News and features
View all
Sam Mendes: Away We Go
- 16 Sep 2009
ed_vid2('333152','','','','','','','','','0'); For more information about Away We Go, visit the official website here . Read more
Image gallery
View all
Showing 1 to 4 of 4

[+] [-]
Previous
Next
More like this
View all
Showing 1 to 4 of 20

[+] [-]
Previous
Addams Family Values

Sign up

Buy

Riding In Cars With Boys

Sign up

Buy

The Odd Couple

Sign up

Buy

An Ideal Husband

Sign up

Buy
Next