MY THEATRICAL REVIEW: READ IT HERE
QUICK THOUGHTS: Away We Go is a dramatic and comical road trip movie from Sam Mendes as he deviates from his traditionally darker tone and delivers a sweet indie film about a couple (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) who are expecting their first child and go out in search of where to root their family. Rudolph is great and a host of co-stars along the way add their share of comedic and occasionally extremely emotional elements.
The film was attacked by some in a way that prompted me to write an editorial headlined “Do Sam Mendes’s Films Attack the State of American Marriage?” Based on American Beauty, Revolutionary Road and Away We Go I would say a case could be made, but I really don’t understand how anyone can come away from this film with any kind of negative feelings. I guess that’s just the rarely seen optimist in me.
SUPPLEMENTS: There are two short featurettes to begin with, the first being a traditional making-of featurette that does let us know that while this is a road trip movie, Connecticut managed to stand in for the likes of Colorado, Montreal, Phoenix, Wisconsin and even Miami. The second featurette is a look at how the film was made with an eye for the environmentally, or “green”. For a little more on that approach you can visit Green Media Solutions. And finally, there is an audio commentary with director Sam Mendes and screenwriters Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. The commentary is informative as they discuss the origins of the characters and the Sam’s attempt to be a little “rough around the edges” with the visual style, but it is far from entertaining. Actually, it’s quite boring.
FINAL THOUGHTS: While the special features didn’t do much for me I still think this is a great movie. I can’t quite decide if it is worth buying, which typically means I would suggest you rent it first and see how it suits you.
