Away We Go

Rating:

Review

Away We Go

Let’s save you some time!!! If indie rom-coms are not your thing avoid this…. If following characters through their spiritual journey of self discovery doesn’t get you salivating…… again, avoid this!

Away we go has an air of Juno and little miss sunshine but never reaches the heights of its predecessors.

Here we follow the life of Verona (Maya Rudolph) and Burt (John Krasinski) an unmarried couple about to have a baby in their thirties and are not sure how they will cope with the demands of parenting and whether they are ready for it.

With nothing holding them back, the couple decide to take a journey to discover them-selves and to find the perfect place to settle down and start a family. They take a road trip around the US and Canada reacquainting themselves with couples from their past who have all started families, in the hope of finding role models.

The movie has its unique moments, you learn about the strong bond between Verona and Burt and how they just ‘get’ each other but the bright sparks for me involve the awkward laughs.

Having some 7 year old say how they try to suffocate a baby with a pillow unsuccessfully and next time will try harder…..is a horrid thought, but is so unexpected you can’t help but burst into fits of laughter.

Through their journey Verona and Burt meet two extremes of parenting. On one side you have the ever so bizarre tree hugging hippie couple Allison (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and her partner, who are open to all things natural and you would expect to be normal if you were part of the ape world in the wild. There are many laugh out loud moments here, some sexually crude and others just slapstick funny. I particularly enjoy Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character and her hate for baby buggies and what they stand for.

On the opposite end Verona and Burt meet the perfect family who have many adopted children and portray the type of family everyone wants to be a part of, later only coming to realise there is a huge gaping hole in their life that could cause the family to crumble at any moment.

Like any spiritual journey the movie takes you through a number of stages where the main characters visualise themselves as the couples they meet along the way, in the end reaching their destination and finding it creeps into their minds like a heart warming surprise. The perfect role models have always been a part of them and like any new family this couple discovers their own way in the end.

I’ve not seen any Sam Mendes movies before but its clear this one is trying to replicate the success of past quirky indie flicks. Having seen some great ratings for this movie, I was expecting more from it. The main characters are very likeable and some of the couples they meet along the way are very entertaining but the story is filled with clichés, from the mid life crisis to the hippies and the spiritual journey as a road trip, I personally found it a little unfulfilling.

Good for a few laughs, some surprises along the way but no, this isn’t Little miss sunshine or Juno…….don’t expect it to be!

Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Maggie Gyllenhaal,

Director: Sam Mendes

Rating: 3/5

Bilal Mohyuddin