‘Away We Go’ is one of the year’s best films
I must admit, Dave Eggers has sort-of been off my radar since I devoured his relentlessly captivating memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Aptly titled though it may be, it somehow failed to propel me into dogged worship mode, and Eggers’ subsequently prolific and influential literary journey has transpired for me only on the periphery. (My knowledge of his wife and co-screenwriter, Vendela Vida, is nonexistent. I’m not that well read, I guess.)
Anyhoo, somehow in the intervening years, I think I may have replaced my admiration for his perceptive, hyper-articulate prose with a fully contrived image of him as some passé hipster icon. This false notion, coupled with the lamentably Juno-esque marketing materials, and the capable but often cold Sam Mendes at the helm; Away We Go seemed to have such toxic potential it could rival the likes of Garden State.
Needless to say, I was not prepared for the clear-sighted warmth and good-natured humor of Away We Go, which is easily the best relationship movie I have seen in years. Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are lovable, soon-to-be parents who fear that even in their early thirties they may only be screw-ups, completely unprepared for parenthood. Six months into their pregnancy, Burt’s parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) announce they’re fleeing the country for a two-year getaway to Belgium.
Both employed but living on the cheap, now unencumbered by familial ties (Verona’s parents died while she was in college), they decide to throw caution to the wind and audition a series of cities — Phoenix, Tuscon, Madison, Montreal, and Miami — where they might make their new home, and decide what kind of life they want for their family.
Admittedly this sort of episodic journey is nothing new, but there is something so genuine reflected in the love these characters share, and something so valuable in the message that you can’t model your life on the surface of someone else’s example. With this, Eggers and Vida convey the self-awareness, doubt and insecurity that accompany modern adulthood, and they enliven an otherwise generic narrative template with big laughs and honest moments.
As Verona, Rudolph is assertive but vulnerable, unsure of herself as a mother, and dealing with the idea of becoming parents while still grieving the loss of her own. Krasinski is astonishingly good. Lively, sweet and endearing, masculine but gentle, his Burt is clearly learning as he goes, but understanding and devoted to Verona.
My complaints are few. Though early on there are a few peculiar cinematic flourishes that border on distracting, Sam Mendes’ directorial hand is largely (correctly) restrained. There’s an overreliance on Alexi Murdoch’s music, and the barrage of eccentric supporting players teeters on the brink of a sideshow. It’s saved by the high caliber of talent — Alisson Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Paul Schneider among others — that elevates the material with comedic chops and empathy for their characters. (Melanie Lynskey has a particularly heartbreaking scene.)
Funny and heartwarming, with a near-perfect ending, Away We Go is a thoughtfully optimistic movie about two people who are unsure of almost everything but their love for each other. It invites us to share in the warmth and intimacy that is key to their relationship, and doesn’t mock their effort to embrace responsibility. This is a wonderful film.
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