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Capone falls deeply in love with Maya Rudolph and AWAY WE GO!!!
Hey, folks. Capone in Chicago here.
Sometimes a film just speaks right into your ear with such a perfect tone that its impact permeates your entire mind, body and soul. I've now seen director Sam Mendes' largely under-the-radar latest work Away We Go twice, and both times it made me laugh and feel deeply for the early-30s couple at the heart of this beautiful and modest work from a man who has spent a great deal of his film career dissecting (perhaps "eviscerating" is the better word) the suburban lifestyle in works such as AMERICAN BEAUTY and REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. The film feels almost too personal thanks entirely to an almost unfairly perfect script from novelist Dave Eggers (who also wrote the upcoming WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE adaptation with Spike Jonze) and wife Vendela Vida. As much as I give full credit to the writers, the warmth and the endearment comes from Mendes' closeness to the material. I came away from this film believing that he cared more about these characters than he has from those in his other works, and shockingly enough, so did I.
And while I'm sure that there have been thousands of films over the years featuring couples in their 30s having kids, AWAY WE GO feels like the definitive cinematic statement on a generation that has decided not to follow in their parents' or grandparents' footsteps and have children immediately after high school or college (such as the couple in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD) for the plain and simple reason that they don't believe they've figured their shit out enough to start a family. A lot of people have already pointed to the scene in the film where Verona (the absolutely perfect Maya Rudolph, basically reintroducing herself to the world as a major acting force) asks her longtime companion Burt ("The Office's" John Krasinski, utterly disguised behind giant glasses and a shaggy beard) if they are "fuck-ups" (or "screw-ups" in the trailer). That's the essence and the jumping-off point of the film and this couple's journey to discover the North American dream. In the end, AWAY WE GO is not a movie about two unmarried people (Verona doesn't see the point in marriage) expecting a child; it's a film about looking for a home.
Burt and Verona live in a shitty little trailer in some desolate corner of Colorado (although I'm not sure the location is ever specifically mentioned) to be close to Burt's flaky parents (Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels), who announce over dinner one night that they are going to realize their longtime ambition to move to Belgium--one month before the baby is due (Verona is six months pregnant at this point). Shocked by Burt's parents' complete selfishness in their time of need, the couple decides they officially have no ties to this hole of an existence and set off on a quick tour of cities in the U.S. (and one in Canada) where they have friends or acquaintances that they might be able to lean on for help as they raise their first child. They don't know exactly what they're looking for, but we get a sense that they (and we) will know it when we get there. Along their journey, we gain little bits of insight into their dynamic and discover some truly remarkable things about Burt and Verona--they seem to get better as an unmarried unit the tougher and scarier things get in their world; instead of long, drawn-out conversations about life, they have short, to-the-point discussions that incorporate a shorthand that every couple develops over time; and they take away examples of what to do (more often, what not to do) from every encounter they have with other parents.
I'm not going to go through the film city by city, but we do get to meet some truly remarkable and terrifying people along the way. The households of both Alison Janney (playing an old work friend of Verona's) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (as a childhood friend of Burt's) are both borderline cliché, but Mendes keeps the proceedings reeled in just enough to make them believable enough to be scarily accurate. Both sequences are a scream, and they leave our young heroes more confused than when they arrived. I do want to talk a bit about the segment set in Montreal, where they visit a couple (Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey) they knew in college, who have one of the most well-adjusted melting pots of adopted children you will ever see on screen. They watch THE SOUND OF MUSIC as a group, but turn the film off before the Nazis enter the picture. They sound overprotective, but it's nobler than that. And just as Burt and Verona think they've found their home, the true nature of this relationship reveals itself. It's a move that is so subtle, you almost miss it; but once you realize what's going on, it stings.
An unplanned trip to Miami to see Burt's brother (Paul Schneider) interrupts Montreal, and the news in Florida isn't much better. His wife has left him and his daughter unexpectedly, and he's emotionally traumatized, more for his daughter than for himself. The segment provides an unexpected level of clarity for both us and Burt and Verona, and sets up a final decision that seems both inevitable and unexpected. During the course of AWAY WE GO, we don't just get to know this couple; we feel like we've taken the first step to becoming their friends. I think that's accurate, since we leave them wanting the best for them and their unborn child. Above all, we want them to be great parents. We've watched them struggle and prevail (sort of), and we'd like to see them again, maybe five years down the road. Will they become their parents or their obnoxious friends? I hope not, but I'd sure like to find out. There's a sequence toward the end of the film involving Burt and Verona lying down on a trampoline talking about all of the things they promise to do for each other and their child. If you can leave that sequence without your emotions being beautifully shattered, then you might be dead. And it's because of that scene that AWAY WE GO went from being a very good movie to a great movie, damn near perfect in my estimation, and certain the finest work Mendes has ever produced.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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. . . because of Mendes. But my God, everything about it from the poster to the tv ads annoy the hell out of me.
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is right down my alley. all ironic, hippy-ish, and touchy-feely. i love making judgements on films i've yet to see!
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Does Rudolph get nekkid??? Somehow I doubt it, since she seems to be fake-pregnant for most/all of this snoozer.
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Does she do her Whitney Houston impression? Because that was a major acting force too.
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capone, focus should hire you to write their publicity blub. the trailer of this film made it seem totally resistable - a couple that's 'too cute to be true' in the tradition of childish (brain-damaged?) types that Johnny Depp used to specialise in. The sort that only ever realise what responsibility is when it creeps out of their nether regions.
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"I'unno, people and fruits and shit." That cracks me up everytime I hear it.
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I'm single and not dating, but I like some of the talent involved. Still, I'm single and unmarried. Are the issues in the film going to go over my head? Should I pass on this one?
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when I saw the trailer it looked like another indie movie like Juno or Junebug, with faded drama that ramps up slightly but tries to stay "realistic" in keeping with the vibe. And hence, uninteresting beyond an initial viewing.
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Jun 12, 2009 9:37:30 AM CDT
Best Review I've Read on this site, period...
by the_floating_skull_of_robert_loggia
Well done, Capone.
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If you're a single sexy lady, I'll see it with you!
Anywho... I'm really excited to see this single or not. -
Jun 12, 2009 10:54:44 AM CDT
Hey, there's a commercial for Away we go on the page!
by cotton mcknight
Wow, that's really convenient!
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I've been sold on seeing this movie for a while now, but your reaction to it was great to read, Capone. Thanks.
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Jun 12, 2009 10:59:28 AM CDT
Its too bad that people are already giving up on the film
by lovecraftfan
Its lovely well written and the best thing Mendes has done in a while.
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It's nice someone on this site knows how to write.
Good job. -
seems like forced indie by some evil marketing company.
undecided. -
You bet there's bad vibes from this movie.
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late term abortion, very difficult ending.
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He'll be coming your way with a bowling pin.
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Do we really NEED anymore? As a Gen Xer, I'm SICK of these people.
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Maybe that's not what it is, but that's sure how they're selling it, at least in the early previews.
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Download the best film podcast around
joblessfilmreviews.podomatic.com -
According to the review (No, I haven't seen the movie) Mendes once again attacks America's middle class. Only the weirdos and slackers are admirable.
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by far the best writer/reviewer on this website.
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i think she's charming, and vulnerable.
but i don't know if i can watch the jackass guy in this film for 90 minutes. the hipster vibe is way too high -
I wasn't as crazy about the first couple of cities as you were Capone. The humor was funny but a little to random funny and not witty. But the second half of the film hit me hard. The theme and emotions of finding a home was very real to me.
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like anne hathaway.
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Jun 12, 2009 3:27:23 PM CDT
Hold up. The parents are selfish b/c they want to move away
by snake foreskin
but you fail to think it selfish of the young couple to want the parents to stick around so they can have free babysitting. day care and parenting advice?
Did you stop to think that maybe the parents - after already raising a child/children of their own and working hard for most of their lives - might want to kick back and live out their twilight years somewhere they actually enjoy? Somewhere they don't experience the constant tugging and pulling and whining and complaining of their slacker kids?That's selfish!
God forbid the slacker-hipster couple should have to finally step up and accept some grown-up style responsibility. GOD FORBID.
I don't know, man, I think this "it takes a village" bullshit has become far too engrained in the American psyche. It shouldn't take a village, a town, or even a goddamn cul-de-sac to raise a kid. It takes parents. Now if the parents can't get their shit together, that's just too damn bad. It sure as shit isn't their parents' responsibility. Right? Lefty slackass pussified thirty-something ingrates! -
You know, there's a reason films like this don't make money. Because most people don't live like this. Ass clowns.
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I've loved every single film he's made so far. A Sam Mendes film practically guarantees a great script, great performances and great direction. And his casting is always pitch perfect. Can't wait for this.
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I'm not thinking I need to spend $8.50 (that's matinee prices for me folks) or more on a movie that will play just as well on my tv in a couple of months. Besides, I still haven't seen Revolutionary Road yet. I hear that one is loads of laughs...
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I think it's the part about the parents moving one month before the baby is born... so they don't even stick around another month to meet their first grandchild or share in the birth of their only child's first child to go follow their dream... the thing they really care about. That's just about as hurtful a thing as you can do outside of being an abusive parent. That's selfish and that's fucked up. Imagine if the couple moved away out of the blue the day after one of the parents died but before the funeral. Same thing. Hurtful, selfish. Now, I'm one to speak since I eloped. But at least I was adopted and my parents were happy not to have to pay for anything... which is what I expected and why I eloped.
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I would really love to know the film everyone else is seeing. The center couple is not smug or condescending. Its refreshing to see a couple who genuinely seem to be in love despite their problems. Its a funny and warm film and I didnt detect any of self-indulgent feelings everyone else is seeing. They're never really rude or condescending to anyone. Seriously are guys just attatching a label without even seeing it.
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I saw this at the screening last week and it was such a great movie. My wife and I couldn't stop talking about it and we plan to see it again.I'm currently reading the script and even the cut scenes are great!
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My boyfriend and I saw the movie when it debuted in L.A. last week, and we loved it. Even though we're gay, the film presents intimate relationships as they really are, with all the moments of awkwardness, confusion, sincerity, inside jokes and kindness intact. I'm with Capone... when the movie is over, you really want Joel and Maya's characters to succeed. The film is heartwarming in all the right ways... it's *definitely* not one of your treacly, obvious pre-packaged Hollywood chick flicks. It even breaks the convention of the couple break up and get back together by the end credits. That alone deserves props.
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I'm still mentally chewing on some of the scenes and themes. Definitely hope this is still on the radar come award nominations.
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and feeling that this movie was some kind of pre-packaged, 'quirky', indie wannabe about some smug, selfish, gen x couple... I'm hearing enough in here that I'll put preconceptions aside and check this out. If you guys wanted to change at least one judgmental asshole's mind, you just did.
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Did he never take his glasses off, even in bed, to pretend he isn't Jim? Maya Rudolph succeeded is moving on from SNL but JK is still Jim to me.
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I have always been in love with Maya Rudolph. Who doesn't want a cute girl who can be silly and do the broadest comedy? She had me at Charo.
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but JUNO was also snotty shit so how does that work?
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Almost going direct to video with less than 1 mil total box office. YOWCH.
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He can kiss the fattest part of my ass.
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Burt sells insurance. Verona draws pictures for medical textbooks. They live near his parents' because a lot of people live near at least one set of parents, especially once sixty is no longer a distant age for soon-to-be grandparents. In the film, they go to one bar and one club, and they're taken to both by a sad couple acting like they're having fun. Several songs from Alexi Murdoch's Time out of Mind constitute most of the movie's soundtrack, not Babyshambles. Burt wears a winter coat with a fake fur-trimmed hood in cold weather, but otherwise, they don't fit the slacker/hipster stereotype in appearance or demeanor. But I suppose to know all that you would need to see the movie, after which you'd probably only be able to say they're "smug." (But they aren't.) Even if they were, to quote Ebert's review, smugness is not a sin "if you have something to be smug about and much reason to condescend."
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