“Away We Go” Review

Away We Go tells the story of Burt Farlander (John Krasinski) and Verona De Tessant (Maya Rudolph). Quintessential slackers, the thirty-somethings have no visible direction to their lives. Verona said aloud in their ramshackle house, “Are we screw-ups?”

In the crass opening scene, Burt realizes Verona is pregnant. Though more traditionally than expected given their attitudes, the rootless lovers want to be near Burt’s family when the baby arrives. Burt’s parents, played expertly by Catherine O’ Hara and Jeff Daniels, announce that they can’t stay in Colorado — that they are finally making good on an old plan to move to Belgium. Daniels and O’Hara have a clear chemistry, and seeing more of them in the movie would have made it far more interesting.

With no remaining ties to Colorado, Verona sees the possibilities of a new home. “Think of the possibilities. We can live anywhere,” she said.

Burt, an outdoors type, readily agrees. The two want to find meaning and direction in their lives, and, equally important, a home for their child. So begins a trail of vignettes.

In Phoenix, Verona meets an old friend, a daytime drinker (Allison Janney) who insults everyone in earshot, even her children. Her husband, played flawlessly by Jim Gaffigan, provides an excellent dopey foil to Burt and Verona’s restrained politeness.

The trip to Madison leads them to a friend of Burt’s, a senseless New Age college professor. The professor, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, abhors strollers, bras and proper parenting. The facial expressions Krasinski makes when he is uncomfortable during this part of the movie are very similar to the expressions he uses on the show The Office.

Krasinski plays Burt with oafish charm. He tells Verona at one point in the film that “He wants to be the kind of dad that cobbles things for his son.” Sighing, Verona quickly comments that he probably meant to say “whittle” ― an example of the way Rudolph uses restrained anger in her role as Verona.

When the couple arrives in Miami, Burt comforts his brother whose wife has left him and his child alone. Burt is terrified that the unwed Maya might one day leave their child, so, cleverly, while canoodling on a trampoline, he compels Verona to promise to a series of vows ― making sure to phrase each question to elicit a response of “I do.”

Finally, after the two see firsthand how raising children can go awry, they decide on a home. The movie ends with the couple sentimentally realizing that home is where the heart is.

Regrettably, much of this movie is as saccharine as the ending, despite the convening of great talent. For this movie, Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty and the recent Revolutionary Road, teamed up with Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, both rising stars in the contemporary literature world. However, the cameos alone salvage the movie — from the airheaded, polysyllabic Jeff Bridges to the over-the-top earthiness of Maggie Gyllenhaal.

As for Burt and Verona: Yes, they’re screw-ups, but at least they’re learning.

Rating: R
Grade: C+

— Evan Tokarz