Away We Go
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paul Schneider

It’s been a full decade now since directors like Wes Anderson and Alexander Payne first laid down the template for the “new” indie dramedy, creating a collection of aesthetic and thematic elements that have since been rehashed so many times that they’ve basically become a genre unto themselves. The ingredients are all too familiar: dysfunctional families and/or weird relationships mixed with dry or dark humour, fashionable yet quirky characters and a soundtrack by The Kinks. If it sounds like I’m being a bit cynical, it’s because I am, but I must admit that I still have a soft spot for these kinds of films and I enjoy seeing someone put a new spin on the formula whenever possible.

Sam Mendes is no stranger to the dramedy either, having struck a similar tone for American Beauty, and yet he’s never really been grouped in with these other filmmakers as he has gone on to do other kinds of movies as well. I suppose that’s why his latest film Away We Go feels a bit out of place, particularly at this point in his career. It has the signature of a first-time director trying to shamelessly cater to a hipster audience… but is there something deeper at work here, or is Mendes merely trying to reclaim some art house cred with a quick and easy crowd pleaser?

Written by Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and his wife Vendela Vida (co-founder of The Believer magazine), the story centers on a couple in their early thirties who are about to have their first child. When Bert (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) find out that Bert’s parents are moving to Europe and won’t be around to help raise the child, they decide to rethink where they are going to live as well. They embark on a whirlwind tour of a handful of cities looking for the ideal place to build their new life together. After meeting up with the wacky friends and family in each of these cities, however, they find themselves wondering if they’re cut out for parenthood after all.

John Krasinski has become a pretty big name thanks to The Office, and is probably going to be the main draw here for a lot of people. To his credit, he is charming and upbeat, and provides some of the only joy in the entire film, but he certainly isn’t doing much to diversify his career. The beard and the glasses can’t hide the fact that he’s basically just playing Jim in a slightly different situation (although it it could be closer to the next season of The Office than we know). Still, the glasses were apparently so essential to his “disguise” that he even had to wear them when his character was in bed at night… go figure.

I know that a lot of people were turned off by Maya Rudolph’s involvement in the film, only being familiar with her work on Saturday Night Live. The truth is, she’s not very funny in Away We Go, but in this case that’s not necessarily a bad thing. She was not cast for her comedic skills, believe it or not, and her character isn’t written to be a smart ass or a bitch. She is surprisingly subtle for the most part and proves that she has some acting talent. My only real complaint about Krasinski and Rudolph is that although they did well individually, I didn’t feel much chemistry between the two of them together.

The road trip structure of the movie relies heavily on the supporting cast to supply both humour and meaning. Just like in Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers, each new city brings with it a fresh set of faces and a whole new dilemma to work through. Unfortunately, while there are a ton of talented people in the mix, many of them take their roles to such extremes that they become cartoon characters. This is perhaps the biggest problem with Away We Go: it just can’t find the right balance between the drama and the comedy.

At times the movie is trying way too hard to be edgy and dark and Diablo Cody. For material that is aimed at a slightly older crowd, there is a ton of childish and crass humour, but what bothered me more is that some of it also felt mean-spirited. Allison Janney’s character, for example, is so eager to take shots at her otherwise normal kids that we find no reason to laugh at her, much less along with her. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character is even more annoying and unlikeable as one of these new age spiritual mothers who reaches ridiculous levels of aloofness. I know these are all supposed to be characters that create conflict and self-reflection for Bert and Verona, but the emphasis seems to be on comic relief, up until the end of the film when all of a sudden the mood gets much heavier.

The movie also desperately wants to be deep and poignant, but never offers up anything particularly memorable. Chris Messina’s speech about love and marriage over pancakes is so pretentious it hurts, and the turning point for Bert and Verona leads to some arduous exchanges between the two of them that are as overwrought as they are weightless. I just couldn’t really buy into the urgency of their pre-parental crisis.

I did enjoy both Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara as Bert’s parents, but sadly they don’t get all that much screen time. Paul Schneider’s performance is great as Bert’s brother, but he is also underused. Jim Gaffigan is just kind of there, seemingly unsure whether his lines are supposed to be funny or not.

Needless to say, I wasn’t dazzled by Away We Go. In terms of style and tone, it has all been done before, and unfortunately the intent just rang so false for me that I walked out feeling like I had been taken advantage of. It starts out trying to shock you into laughter, then it slowly drags you down and wallows in all that is wrong with the world, only to come up with a last-minute resolution that doesn’t feel deserved. The poster says it all: this movie wants to be filed beside Juno or The Squid and the Whale on your DVD shelf, but there aren’t nearly enough laughs or heartfelt moments to be had. Let this be a lesson: it takes more than a melancholy folk soundtrack to extract emotions from your audience. — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Margot at the Wedding, Broken Flowers, The Weather Man