E-Mail
Print
Advertisement
'Away We Go' is the perfect anti-blockbuster
Published online on Friday, Jun. 26, 2009
tool name
close
tool goes here
Comments (0)
"Away We Go" is like a perfect glass of lemonade on a hot summer day: It’s sweet enough to satisfy and just tart enough to enjoy. This light romantic comedy is the best work by director Sam Mendes since his “American Beauty.”
John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play thirtysomething couple Burt and Verona who are three months away from parenthood. The pregnancy creates concerns they’re not ready for the big change in their life so they go on a cross-country trip to find the perfect place to live.
They visit family and friends the couple think have perfect lives, leading them to Phoenix, Tucson, Madison, Miami and Montreal. Krasinski, who had to suffer through another couples crisis movie with “License to Wed,” and Rudolph come across as a real couple, especially in their conversations. They don’t use perfect quips to deal with fears. They reluctantly embrace honest truths about how life can’t be planned.
A few more characters like this and Krasinski can lay claim to the everyman role Tom Hanks has played so well. The big surprise is Rudolph, who makes a very clear statement she can handle drama.
Mendes shows great skill in getting his characters to their final realization. He takes Burt and Verona from one couple (Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan) who are a crisis away from a complete mental breakdown to the brutally painfully realities of another (Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey).
MOVIE REVIEW"Away We Go," rated R for language, sexual content. Stars John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Melanie Lynskey, Jim Gaffigan. Directed by Sam Mendes. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. Grade: B+
Each couple offers a look at life that ranges from scary to heart-touching. Under a less competent hand, the sharp contrasts could’ve been self-destructive. Mendes knows just when to use humor to either accent or downplay a moment.
Aliens, robots and wizards are designed to bring heat to theaters this summer. If you prefer a sweet treat, then “Away We Go” is the answer.
TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
- Be yourself. A nickname will be used for posts, but if an editor finds a user without a verifiable name, that user will be warned or banned.
- Keep it clean. Foul language (defined by prime-time standards) will not be tolerated. Neither will the intentional misspelling of foul language or the use of non-English curse words.
- Be truthful. Do not lie or link to sites that may be considered libelous, defamatory or false.
- Be nice. Don't harass anyone. Don't threaten anyone. Don't use racial slurs. Don't post anything sexually explicit.
- Be an individual. Do not advertise or solicit. Do not harvest any information for business use.
- Be original. Do not post copyrighted material.
- Follow the law. Don't do anything or post anything considered illegal by city, county, state or federal regulations and laws.
Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
- From The Beehive
-
It's band weekend
Hope you didn't even think of trying to get a cheap motel room in Fresno this weekend considering the influx of high-school marching band members flooding the area from north and south. The Western Band Championships are in full...read more »
Another comedy show to look forward to ...
We gave you a nice rundown of upcoming comedy shows earlier in the week, and now we got another one. 'Tis the season to laugh, apparently. The guys at Cloud 9 Productions pass along word that they've booked a...read more »
Turning kids on to the cello
My faithful classical-music-in-schools-zealot correspondent, Robert Bullwinkel, dropped me a note today about cellist Zuill Bailey, the guest soloist for this weekend's Fresno Philharmonic concerts -- I have a story in this morning's 7 section about the program -- and...read more »
Complete Beehive → - Columnists
-
Rick Bentley Mum's the word on KBOS firings
There have been several changes to the KBOS (FM 94.9) on-air lineup with the abrupt firings of Danny Salas two weeks ago and Mo'nique on Friday. Read more →
- National entertainment
- More stories →
- Most Read Stories
-
- Most E-mailed
$(document).ready(function(){
$("dd:not(:first)").hide();
$("dt a").click(function(){
$("dd:visible").slideUp("fast");
$(this).parent().next().slideDown("fast");
return false;
});
});
@Nyx.CommentBody@