'Away We Go': A Cute Couple Squares Off Against Insanity

“Away We Go” is a little movie with lots of recognizable faces, but no well established or big names. The film goes right alongside “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Juno,” and “Rocket Science” as one of the most likeable, funny, and cute dramedies in a long while.

The highest profile person involved with the film is its director, Sam Mendes. “Away We Go” is his fifth film, and it’s a very worthy addition to his excellent body of work. While it’s clear that, once again, the filmmaker is honing in on relationships as the main focus of the film, it is even more clear that “Away We Go” is the closest thing to a comedy that Mendes has directed. Whether you want to look at the tragedy and drama in “American Beauty” or more recently, “Revolutionary Road,” the dark and violent “Road to Perdition,” or even the deserted landscapes of “Jarhead,” Mendes has a pretty depressing body of work. It’s great to see the director switch genres in such a big way. For anyone that didn’t like how dark or grim his views on relationships were in his past films, this film doesn’t have any of that. It can be enjoyed by everyone, and has plenty of great characters and laughs to spread around.

The film centers on a couple, Burt and Verona, (played excellently by the always great Jon Krasinski from the Office and Maya Rudolph from Saturday Night Live) that decide they need to have a real “home” before they have a baby. So they travel around the country to places where they know people, family or friends, and try to decide where they want to live.

Sounds simple enough, but the couples they meet aren’t simple at all. The insanity and dysfunction that ensues is both entertaining and hilarious. Krasinski and Rudolph have many scenes where they are both basically straight men while they receive unbelievably irresponsible and ridiculous parenting advice from terrible parents. Their journey in trying to figure out where they will live guides them in figuring out what kinds of parents they both want to be, how they want to raise their kids, and it shows them the strength of their own relationship.

“Away We Go” has many funny situations, and just as many teary moments. While many of the characters that surround Burt and Verona are unbelievably negative, the couple always holds steady to their own thoughts, philosophies, and sanity. The supporting cast is excelelnt Maggie Gyllenhaal is probably the most memorable. She plays a sort of off-beat holistic mother that thinks strollers are an atrocity, and that you should sleep with your children at all times, no matter what you are doing. Other actors that seem to show up out of nowhere include Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, and Allison Janney.

The characters are aided by a great script. The dialog is sharp and witty, the main characters are charming, and almost everyone else is just as crazy as the writers had hoped. The journey ends in a satisfying way, but it’s not completely wrapped up in a bow, and it always treats everything in a realistic way. Another thing that’s done very well is how easy it is to identify with both the main male and female characters. They are likeable people, and if you’re in a relationship, you’d like to think your relationship is similar to theirs.

“Away We Go” is a small film, but it is no slouch. It’s moving, entertaining, and it never overstays its welcome. It’s easy to watch, and easy to identify with. Sam Mendes has successfully branched pretty far out of the genre of dark dramas, and I am excited to see what he does next. “Away We Go” is the best date movie this summer has provided thus far. Keep that in the back of your mind as you check show times for “The Proposal”. You’ll like this a lot better.