Saw the latest movie directed by Sam Mendes called Away We Go starring Jonathan Krasinski (The Office) and Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) written by the noted novelist Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida.Although it is not the most highly rated film of the summer, it has recieved reasonably good reviews.
The Other Half and I saw the film at the Laemmle Colorado Theaters in Pasadena over the July 4th weekend and quite enjoyed it.
Krasinski and Rudolph play Burt and Verona, a couple of "possible f*ck-ups" (in their own words) who are clearly in love but also about 6 months pregnant.
Eggers & Vida's script has a very distinct format; it is split into numerous different segments, which take place in Phoenix, Tucson, Madison, Montreal and Miami.
The most successful of these are the Phoenix and Tucson segments thanks to some inspired cameos by Allison Janney (of the West Wing and Juno) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) as two completely insane mothers. Gyllenhaal plays an über-Earth mother who is terrified that strollers will emotionally scar her child. Janney plays a mom who has absolutely no sense of boundaries with her children or anyone else--she is constantly talking at the top of her voice in public about completely inappropriate topics.
Krasinski and Rudolph are have great chemistry together. The nature of Rudolph's racial identity as a very light-skinned biracial person is brought up in a typically abrupt (but amusing) way, towards the beginning of the film, and race doesn't play much of a role throughout the film.
Krasinski, wearing owlish glasses and a faux hipster beard to distance himself from his widely known "cute guy in the office" role on The Office, does well to play against the audience's presumptions of his previous TV and roles. Rudolph is of course most well-known for her apearances on Saturday Night Live and although Away We Go is definitely a comedy, it is also a drama, and she has some fine acting moments, especially the final scene, in the "Home" segment.
The theme of the film is that it is a journey into how couples lead their lives and realize their dreams. By showing us five different views on how life can be for different couples the movie makes a profound statement which the audience can relate to and reflect on long after the movie is over.
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Plot: B.
Acting: B+.
Visuals: C+.
Impact: A-.
Overall Grade: B/B+.
The Other Half and I saw the film at the Laemmle Colorado Theaters in Pasadena over the July 4th weekend and quite enjoyed it.
Krasinski and Rudolph play Burt and Verona, a couple of "possible f*ck-ups" (in their own words) who are clearly in love but also about 6 months pregnant.
Eggers & Vida's script has a very distinct format; it is split into numerous different segments, which take place in Phoenix, Tucson, Madison, Montreal and Miami.
The most successful of these are the Phoenix and Tucson segments thanks to some inspired cameos by Allison Janney (of the West Wing and Juno) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) as two completely insane mothers. Gyllenhaal plays an über-Earth mother who is terrified that strollers will emotionally scar her child. Janney plays a mom who has absolutely no sense of boundaries with her children or anyone else--she is constantly talking at the top of her voice in public about completely inappropriate topics.
Krasinski and Rudolph are have great chemistry together. The nature of Rudolph's racial identity as a very light-skinned biracial person is brought up in a typically abrupt (but amusing) way, towards the beginning of the film, and race doesn't play much of a role throughout the film.
Krasinski, wearing owlish glasses and a faux hipster beard to distance himself from his widely known "cute guy in the office" role on The Office, does well to play against the audience's presumptions of his previous TV and roles. Rudolph is of course most well-known for her apearances on Saturday Night Live and although Away We Go is definitely a comedy, it is also a drama, and she has some fine acting moments, especially the final scene, in the "Home" segment.
The theme of the film is that it is a journey into how couples lead their lives and realize their dreams. By showing us five different views on how life can be for different couples the movie makes a profound statement which the audience can relate to and reflect on long after the movie is over.
Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and some sexual content.
Plot: B.
Acting: B+.
Visuals: C+.
Impact: A-.
Overall Grade: B/B+.
We loved it! Was probably the best movie we've seen this year.
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