Why the film is worth your time
With light-hearted seriousness, Away We Go romps us through a young couple’s search for life. Or, actually, their search is for a place to live, but of course there’s always a larger thing going on. Burt and Verona’s relationship has its idiosyncrasies, and perhaps because of that it shines all the more in contrast to the craziness they encounter on their search. I came away wanting the richness they have together.
Perhaps the film’s framing as an odyssey is standard enough, yet the questions it opens are strong. What roots us to any particular place? What ties us most deeply to family? From what do we draw life; what rich streams feed us? Do we intentionally search for these things, or do we simply go with the flow? If we do search, what preconceived notions filter our search, determining what we may or may not find? Away We Go’s quirkiness allows it to ask such questions without an overbearing or preachy air. The outlandishness of some of the characters they come upon has a tongue-in-cheek effect, so that the film asks its questions lightly and doesn’t try to back viewers into a corner if they’re not up to the asking.
Away We Go’s pacing, cinematography, dialog, and characters very well embody its lightness and tongue-in-cheek attitude. The main characters acting is honest and real, while some of the supporting characters are played to humorous extremes to make the point. Going with the film’s odyssey construct, we can treat these characters as archetypes and go with it. It’s very much a worthwhile film but, if you’re content sensitive, you might have someone with you position the DVD at the main title (2:41 into the film) and then invite you into the room.
Burt & Verona are going to have a baby. This is a wonderful and true joy for them, and they are very excited as they go to Burt’s parents house for a celebratory dinner (Verona’s parents are dead). But, it turns out that the grandparents-to-be have their own direction in life, and their excitement about the baby goes only so far. This gets Burt & Verona to thinking: Why are we hanging around this town, then? So, away they go on the road, visiting friends and family to find the place they ought to live. Running time: 98 min.
Away We Go has a fair bit of language, some of it strong and some of it with sexual innuendo or direct reference. Much of it serves to build the film’s portrayal of specific characters. Beyond language, the film doesn’t have a great deal of content to note except for one bit that may cause concern: The very opening of the film establishes intimacy, nuance, quirkiness, and a fun attitude in the context of Burt and Verona’s bedroom.
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Screenplay: Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
- Leads: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph
- Cinematography: Ellen Kuras
- Music: Alexi Murdoch
- Info on IMDb
- Reviews on Rottentomatoes (67%)
- Reviews on Metacritic (58 of 100)
- Review on Christianity Today Movies (3 of 4)
- Review by Brandon Fibbs
- Review at Filmwell
- Review (with an explicit first paragraph) at Film School Rejects (grade: B+)
- Review on Reelviews
- Buy Away We Go DVD on Amazon.com
- Go to the Netflix page
- Go to the Blockbuster page
April 29, 2011, 14:48 UTC
(updated July 25, 2014, 21:03 UTC)
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