Away We Go
2009
**
Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Carmen Ejogo, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Josh Hamilton, Allison Janney, Melanie Lynskey, Chris Messina, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Schneider
Burt and Verona, an unmarried couple in their 30s, are about to have a baby. They travel across the country to meet their old friends and colleagues, and to determine where they should settle down. On this trip, they meet bad parents and good parents, they meet shrieking caricatures and tragic characters who resemble real-life people. This frustratingly uneven and unoriginal road movie was written by a real-life couple Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. Their hero and heroine are bland, but it is somewhat refreshing that the script never questions their relationship, like most films would. Instead Burt and Verona discover how well-balanced they are and how lucky their child will be. What a pointless journey! The indie soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch sounds like second rate Nick Drake.
