Away We Go

Review By: Tom Herrmann
TomHerrmann@TheCinemaSource.com

Movie Grade: A-
DVD Features Grade: B+
Overall Grade: A-

It was a long awaited arrival, John Krasinski’s first watch-able leading film I mean. After being one of the few to actually see License to Wed and hearing nothing positive at all about Leatherheads, Krasinski’s movie choices were letting me down as a died hard fan of The Office. After all, this is Jim Halpert, the most likeable character on the show - except maybe Creed. Now all of those second rate films are in the past and we can all move forward with good old Johnny as we travel along side Maya Rudolph in this excursive in judging others.

Yes, the film does revolve around the idea that Krasinski and Rudolph’s characters Burt and Verona are traveling around looking for a place to raise their unexpected baby. This process consists mostly of going to see close friends and relatives they haven’t seen in years and testing their social waters. This gave ample opportunities for guest appearances by actors that will make you say “OH! I know that guy!” or “What’s he from?” out loud in the theater, as well as some awkward interaction and shenanigans.

As much as I enjoyed seeing these different people reflect all sorts of styles of parenting, from neglectful to overbearing, there is one major flaw to this structure. At the beginning of the film, But and Verona’s live are amounting to almost nothing. The two have nothing to show for their lives besides each other and a messy trailer, but as soon as this baby comes into play they are all of a sudden an authority on quality parenting. Not to say that they are wrong to think Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character is out of her mind, but who are they?

We are well compensated by this drawback in the long run though. The movie is full of the quirky humor that American audiences seem to have fallen in love with in recent years, as well as touching sentimental value from beginning to end. Watching Verona lull her niece to sleep with a southing rendition of Mr. Tambourine Man comes to mind the most as far as sentimental images. Even though it isn’t the focus of the scene, seeing and hearing it in the background was a heartwarming moment that epitomizes the film for me.

The Making Of feature was surprisingly interesting. Not that the film itself wasn’t, but this feature gave a lot of information without saying more than any other film normally would. It might be due to a scenes of honesty from the actors and crew about the movie: it doesn’t seem like they are being told what to say at any point. There was some very intriguing things about the movie, like the fact that the entire film was shot in Connecticut. To have scenes taking place in Canada, Phoenix, Tuscan, and several other location, it seemed like quite a ...