Movie Review - Away We Go (2009)

Starring John Krasinksi, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, and Maggie Gyllenhaal
Written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida
Directed by Sam Mendes

I've said before that I admit that indie films have to work harder for me to like them for the simple reason that I don't like films that shout "I'm hip and edgy" which many low budget flicks scream to me. Your film can be "hip" or "edgy," but not obnoxiously so.

The weird thing about Away We Go is that despite that folk-pop soundtrack, and that thrift store-style "hip" costuming, and certain requisite indie camera shots (like following a couple down a moving airport sidewalk...saw that in Garden State and several movies after that, Mr. Mendes), the film is anything but edgy. It's not filled with Juno-esque dialogue (thank God), but it is filled with quirky characters who make the film completely lose any "realness," and who, in turn, make the film fall from good to below average.

Burt and Verona (Krasinski and Rudolph) are a loving couple, making a living (barely), who are expecting a baby in three months. Once they are given the news that Burt's parents (O'Hara and Daniels) are leaving the country, the couple decides to visit friends and relatives to try and find a place to settle down so that their newborn baby will be around a loving familial community. Through the episodic pacing of the film, we travel to Arizona and meet Verona's zany friend Lily (Janney) and her downtrodden hubby, Lowell (Gaffigan). Soon, we travel to the midwest and meet Burt's friend, LN (Gyllenhaal), a weirdo liberal professor. These three characters Burt and Verona meet up with, in particular, were the sole reasons the film fell apart. Yes, they provided laughter, but they were awful caricatures of stereotypical people. Gyllenhaal's LN, in particular, was horrendously bad. Her flowing arm movements and her flowing clothing and the flowing random verbiage ("Peace! Love! Have sex in front of your kids...It's natural!") that spewed from her mouth were all ridiculous. Yes, she was funny (as was Janney and Daniels and O'Hara), but she was completley a "character" and not a "real person." (Oddly enough, I felt that in screenwriter Dave Eggers' book -- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius -- that the problem was in his inability to get me to care for the side peripheral characters...similar problem here.)

The supporting cast issue is unfortunate because Krasinski and Rudolph both are as real as it gets. Both of these actors, neither of which are "stars" by any means, really had me glued to the screen. There wasn't a doubt in my mind when I was watching this flick that these two characters really loved each other. One scene that I loved was when Burt and Verona visited their friends, Tom and Munch (Chris Messina and Melanie Lynsky), in Montreal. Tom and Munch are the proud parents of a brood of adopted kids, but one evening, Tom emotionally reveals to Burt that Munch has had five miscarriages and doesn't understand why such a loving mother would be unable to have kids of her own. The look on Burt's face after hearing the story really got to me -- and showed me what a good actor Krasinski can be. Similarly, Rudolph (who was definitely a favorite of mine on Saturday Night Live) has a scene in bed with Krasinski where Burt tells Verona that he loves her and she starts to cry. It felt so right on and real. There were many more scenes like these that worked wonderfully.

I loved nearly every scene with Burt and Verona, so it was such a shame that nearly every side character (with the exception of the absolutely touching and beautifully portrayed aforementioned Montreal couple) seemed so fake. Overall, Sam Mendes' new effort couldn't match up to his modern-day masterpiece, Revolutionary Road, despite the fact that the two leads were great.

The RyMickey Rating: C

Movie Review - Revolutionary Road (2008)

starring Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, and Kathryn Hahn
directed by Sam Mendes
screenplay by Justin Haythe

Revolutionary Road is not a happy movie. You're not going to walk out of the theater skipping and whistling. It's intense, it's emotional, it's shocking at times, and it's one of the best movies of 2008.

Set in the mid-50s, DiCaprio and Winslet are married couple Frank and April Wheeler. From the outset, it's obvious that things aren't perfect in their relationship. With Frank languishing in a job he hates and April stuck in the home with their two children, neither is satisfied in their day-to-day life. With the hope of getting them out of their respective ruts, April devises a plan to make a big move with the whole family -- creating a new life and traveling away from their life on Revolutionary Road.

It wouldn't be a movie (or at least as nearly as an intriguing one) if everything went perfectly. And things definitely do not go perfectly.

Elevating the story to a whole new level is the excellent work by DiCaprio and Winslet. Both really deliver pitch-perfect performances. With the help of director (and Winslet's hubby) Mendes, I truly felt transported into the 1950s setting. Corny as that sounds, between the dialogue, the set design, and the costuming, it didn't feel like a movie made in this decade.


Jumping back to Winslet and DiCaprio for a minute, both were just stellar. Despite the fact that his recent films (The Departed, The Aviator) actually showcased his talent, I wasn't expecting much from DiCaprio. But his tone was perfect in this film...not many people can say "swell" and make it sound believable, but DiCaprio eases right into the 1950s setting. As good as DiCaprio is, Winslet is better. Talk about talent, Winslet never seems to disappoint. She was stunningly gorgeous, and can say so much with just her facial expressions.

There is a particular scene towards the end of the movie shared by only Winslet and DiCaprio as they sit at a kitchen table and it was just heartachingly beautiful...and the scenes that follow that one just make it resonate even more.

I also don't want to forget the great supporting turn by Kathryn Hahn as the Wheeler's next door neighbor. While initially providing some much needed comic relief, she makes the most out of what could've been a throwaway role. Kathy Bates and Michael Shannon are also serviceable in their roles, although if I had anything to pick at, Bates seemed a tad over the top, making her role of the elderly, slightly nosy, neighbor a little cliché.

It's a shame this seems to be only getting buzz for Kate Winslet's role (she received a well-deserved Golden Globe for this role), as I truly think it's one of the best films of '08.

The RyMickey Rating: A-