by The Great White Gypsy

I wish you could’ve seen my expression last November, when I first read the Oscar nominees for 2008. I was appalled. Not only were certain films on the docket that didn’t deserve so much as an original song award, but what was almost completely absent was Sam Mendes’ gut wrenching yet brilliantly crafted period piece, Revolutionary Road. I couldn’t believe the Academy’s oversight. I mean, it’s not like his films haven’t gotten any recognition (American Beauty got a couple awards), but with the competition last year being what it was, his snubbing was inexcusable.
Apparently, I held onto that longer than he did.
It would appear that, immediately after finishing Revolutionary Road, Mendes unbuttoned his collar, loosened his tie, called up Dave Eggers, and said, “Let’s lighten it up this time.” This is obvious in the opening scene of his new movie. The first shot is John Krasinski’s legs dangling over the end of a bed. He is going down on Maya Rudolph, his girlfriend. Their pillow talk is awkward enough, and then he makes a comment about the way she tastes. As men tend to do, he verbally digs himself deeper, and with a resounding slap to the face, and a fall from the bed…
Away We Go is an amazing, simple, emotional, relatable film. Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are expecting a baby in a few months. They have moved to Denver to be closer to Burt’s parents (Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels) for the birth, only to find out that they are renting out their house and moving to Belgium for two years. With a lack of substantial roots, and a fear of being “fuck-ups”, the two embark on a countrywide search for the perfect place to raise a family. This takes them to Phoenix to see Verona’s ex-boss (Allison Janney), Tucson with Verona’s sister, Madison for an evening with Burt’s “cousin” (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Montreal with a couple college friends, and finally to Miami near Burt’s brother. Along the way, they find that what appears to be happiness is often misery, what looks like stability is actually lunacy, and what matters most is that the two of them are “in love like no one else”.
If you go into this looking for a typical Sam Mendes movie, you may be disappointed. Away We Go features virtually none of his trademark camera shots, cinematography, or score. If I hadn’t known beforehand that he directed it, I probably wouldn’t have guessed it. This is like Juno and Nick & Norah for grownups, the type of film that usually features a first time or unknown director. However, Mendes’ experience, patience, and creativity make it better than others in the genre. There is really only one Mendes moment, early on, when Verona pulls the car over, gets out, and walks a ways down the road before stopping to stare off in the distance. The camera follows her out of the car and down the road, then turns so we can see Burt walking up behind her. Hard to explain, I know, but if you’ve seen American Beauty or Revolutionary Road, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you see it.
Also surprising is Mendes’ crew choices. This is the first time Thomas Newman has not done a score for Sam Mendes, being replaced in Away We Go by rookie Alex Murdoch. It also marks new and first time collaborations with cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blow), editor Sarah Flack (Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation), and production designer Jess Gonchor (Burn After Reading, No Country for Old Men). Mendes was thinking outside the box, but he made some really solid choices, and the elements of Away We Go fit together almost perfectly.
The folksy soundtrack blended very well with every scene in the film. Alexi Murdoch performs most of the songs (if you haven’t heard Orange Sky in like 46 movies, you live under a rock). George Harrison and The Velvet Underground help to round it out with the scenery and character development.
Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and wife Vendela Vida wrote the clever, entertaining, and emotional screenplay, the first for both of them. Eggers has had a lot of success as a writer, and if Mendes’ camera presence isn’t apparent, Eggers’ character presence definitely is. The characters are all a little off, a little crazy, but none of them are over the top or out of place.
The screenplay would’ve have got off the ground, though, if not for the amazing choices in casting. Krasinski and Rudolph look like an odd couple, almost amusing when walking side by side. But I actually believed that the two of them were really, completely in love. Allison Janney is manic to the point of comedic annoyance, but her performance is tempered by the depressive, drunk ramblings of her husband, played by Jim Gaffigan. Toni Collette was originally slated to play Burt’s longtime family friend LN, a hindu-buddhist-progressive-continuum-bed-lunatic, but had to back out, and Maggie Gyllenhaal more than filled her shoes. The whole time she’s on screen, you’re laughing, but also put off because her character is serious.
My only complain really is the character of Burt. Though Krasinksi is great, the character doesn’t feel consistent. In most scenes he is timid and soft-spoken, in others he has a boisterous sense of humor, and then he’ll get defensive to the point of yelling. It isn’t a huge thing, but there were several moments in the film where I was very aware it was John Krasinski on screen, not just a character.
Overall, this film is a great way to start off the summer. It has just as many laughs as it does intense emotional moments. Unlike Revolutionary Road, however, the couple never falters in their relationship, and you actually walk away feeling really good. This may not get nominated for an Oscar in 2009, but I don’t really care, and I don’t think Sam does either.
Final Grade: A