Ryan McNeil
Strangest thing. Every few years, a movie will come along that speaks to me a little bit louder than most. It’s usually due in part to the way I can relate to the characters, and where they are at in their lifes journey. Thinking back, it’s been about five years since such a film hit me in this manner, and a lot has changed in that time. So I suppose in a way, I was due for a new film to speak to me.
Right on cue comes AWAY WE GO.
AWAY WE GO is the story of Burt and Verona. They have a simple yet deeply loving relationship. She is an illustrator and he is an insurance salesman. They aren’t married, but it isn’t for lack of asking (Burt wants to, Verona not so much). They are expecting their first child in three months, so they live near Denver solely to be close to Burt’s parents when the baby is born (Verona’s parents passed away years ago).
However, for some strange reason, Burt’s flighty parents are moving out of the country for two years. Now teathered by nothing, they start to think long and hard about where they want to raise their child. They have very few friends, and even less family, so anywhere from Phoenix to Montreal is up for grabs. They head out on a journey to settle on a new home.
What gives this road trip even more meaning for the lovebirds, is the fact that at every stop they meet up with another old acquaintence…each one with a radically different family dynamic in tow. There’s a wickedly disfunctional brood in Phoenix. There’s a crackpot neo-hippie dynamic in Wisconsin. Going further north, is the loving adopting couple in Montreal – who are hiding a sad consequence. And finally, there’s a newly single dad in Miami…who is struggling to hold it together after his wife ran away from her husband and daughter.
For better or worse, each stop gives Burt and Verona an answer to their questions on how to be good parents. Of course, each answer comes with a dozen new – and often scarier – questions.
AWAY WE GO is fueled by two very heartfelt and genuine performances by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Krasinski has become notorious for reacting to what’s happening around him with a “wtf” expression. However, for the role of Burt, he has raised his game, and with his entire body encompassed the frightened enthusiasm of a first-time-father. In his words, he wants his child to have an adolescense that is “Huck Finn-y”. If anyone else such a thing, I’d laugh at them…but when Burt says it, I believe him.
What makes the character, and likewise Krasinski’s performance all the more interesting, is the fact that the guy isn’t built out of blind Casey Kasem optimism. He’ll politely stand back, and let old acquaintences act like babbling idiots – but only to a point. When the insanity does eventually become too much to handle, he isn’t above pointing it out…and he does it in a way that feels believable. Mostly.
As for Maya Rudolph’s portrayal of Verona, she gives the character a great deal of sweet uncertainty, and does so without leaning on any “wild pregnancy mood-swing” cliches. That’s not to say that she doesn’t get agitated or self-concious – she does, often in reaction to Burt’s overzealousness. What grounds Veronas anxieties, is the way she explains them in ways that make them familiar.
These two characters face some tough moments together – enough to shatter many lesser couples. But what sees them through it, and what what might eventually let them find what they are looking for, is their honesty with each other. They both feel like kids that fucked up, but by not letting their shortcomings tear them apart as a family, they are able to keep moving down the road, where many lesser couples might have gone their seperate ways.
AWAY WE GO poses some tough questions. Not the least of which, is whether or not this generation has been selfish by contentedly coupling off and prolonging the start of families. I for one, am not working out every topic that comes up in the movie at the moment, but I’m thinking about enough of them that a movie like this becomes a compass. Everyone has a different answer for what this stage of life is supposed to be about. AWAY WE GO might have helped me formulate mine, and it might just be a good enough answer to last me another five years.
I saw this on Saturday – and I loved it! Glad to see you did too! It was heartfelt and genuine – and it did leave me wondering about my future and I think it is a great starting board for people our age to speculate… Which is fantastic a movie can do that (as well as entertain with plenty of great jokes)!
I certainly see where you're coming from. And perhaps I liked it less than you because it forced a little introspection that scares the shit out of me.
What is the movie five years ago that spoke to you?
@ C… I know what you mean by asking "Am i the only one?". Came home to find the movie getting a so-so score on rotten tomatoes, and even spoke to a relative whp just sorta shrugged the movie off.
@ Blake… The movie that spoke to me 4 years ago was GARDEN STATE. Not because I lost a parent or battled clinical depression or anything, but just because I was in my late twenties and feeling a little rudderless.
I didn't know what to think of this movie going in. John Krasinski makes me laugh, but Sam Mendes makes me cry.
I like your take on the film. I really enjoyed it all. I like how the movie is sort of half-exaggerated so that we see all sorts of child raising extremes. It makes their final decision a little more poignant I think.
Also, I absolutely loved the look of the movie. I'm not sure if that's something I tell myself because it's a Mendes film, but I remember on several occasions thinking how aesthetically pleasing most of the shots were.
I finally got to see this movie and it's in my top 10 now. A movie hasn't moved me as much since ETERNAL SUNSHINE.
Hint…don't see it immediately after a break-up. Bad, bad idea.
Saw this on the weekend, Hatter. Loved it. Thanks for the excellent review.
Have you bought your TIFF tickets yet? Got my 10-pack yesterday.
@ Franny…
Glad I was able to steer ya in the right direction and that you enjoyed AWAY WE GO.
I haven't got my TIFF pass just yet. My Visa is hurting these days so I'll have to wait and buy it with cash. It'll be a lighter slate for me this year – probably ten films on tap as opposed to my usual twenty.