Thursday, Oct. 08, 2009
"Away We Go"
This movie takes some time to get used to. A Sam Mendes film starring a couple of TV stars sounds like a recipe for disaster. You may know Mendes from his past endeavors - "American Beauty," "Road to Perdition," "Jarhead" and "Revolutionary Road." There are similar themes in all of these aforementioned movies but hilarious is not one of them. "Away We Go" is a comedy and there are moments that are drop-dead funny. There are also moments that are touching and sad and beautiful. This story of a young couple searching for the perfect place to have their baby runs the gamut of humor that ranges from dry smirks to belly laughs. Starring John Krasinski of TV's "The Office" and Maya Rudolph, an alum of "Saturday Night Live," the odd couple matches up perfectly under Mendes' direction. It takes a few minutes to buy Krasinski as a naïve, well-intentioned father-to-be and Rudolph as the grounded, extremely-concerned mother-to-be, but once you let go of preconceptions - a great movie unfurls. The script was written by a real couple and the dialogue feels real and Krasinski and Rudolph add a genuine quality, like they are really comfortable with one another. This being a movie about a pregnant woman, it will draw comparisons to "Juno" but do not bite. This is a unique little comedy that has a life of its own, including a soundtrack that seems to drape itself over every scene and work as an extension of the storytelling. Do not hesitate to say ``Away We Go'' and rent this one.