Oh to live in New York and see movies like Away We Go, directed by young Sam Mendesand powered by a Dave Eggers/Vendela Vida script, as they are released, in the glory of a cinema! Away We Go came out in 2009 but never made it into Australian multiplexes; only now, a year later, was I able to view it on DVD. And it’s a winner, a quirky, finely paced, life-affirming example of the best of American filmmaking. Anchored by a simple plotline – a 30s-something couple touring different American cities to pick where they might settle – it is at once a gentle satire about American families, a fascinating sociological travelogue, a paean to love, and an exploration of existential meaning. Yet it’s not weighty by any means – brilliant acting by John Krasinski (as the geeky but tough, naive but wise husband) and Maya Rudolph (the emotional, strong wife) centre us first and foremost in the lives of the characters, and some of the scenes are delightfully humorous. Out of last month’s crop of 2009-2010 films watched on DVD, Away We Go stands out as superlative.
As entertaining and profound as the best literary novels. 4 stars.