Away we go hits Irish screens on Friday, September 18, 2009.

Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney. Director: Sam Mendes.

Review

Sam Mendes has purposely leaned left of centre with his choices since the slightly self-indulgent pondering of Jarhead - a film that really should've been a lot better given the subject matter. He's still working with movie stars, but with both Revolutionary Road and Away We Go he's defying expectations of what people may now expect of him as an Oscar winning director. Where Revolutionary Road was an intense character study with an emotionally explosive conclusion, Away We Go moves along at its own offbeat pace, inviting you to get on board whenever you feel like it.

Two TV stars known for their comedic chops, John Krasinski (The Office) and Mya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) headline their first movie as slightly kooky 30-something couple, Burt and Verona. After finding out they're expecting their first child, the likeable pairing make their way around North America is search of a perfect home to raise their soon-to-be born daughter. Along the way they meet some old friends and family, learning about becoming parents, and that they might not be as messed-up as they first thought they were when they found out parenthood was imminent. What follows is a road trip of sorts that takes them from Montreal to Miami, and plenty of places in between.

If Mendes wants to show that he has range as a director, then he's achieved that with the wealth of difference between his last two movies alone. Away We Go is obviously a much more understated affair, as the pace and tone seems to reflect the breezy attitude of Burt and Verona. At first you think these two are bohemian sorts who might be difficult to really like, as they seem firmly of the ‘quirky’ variety, but they’re not a patch on some of the nut-jobs they encounter on their journey. It’s the unabashed amiability of both Krasinski and Rudolph really makes this movie tick, as both give subdued turns that initially make it seem like the movie is passing them by. But these are just characters you need to get to know before warming to, and both performances fit with this mindset smugly.

The faults here lie with the supporting players; some are over the top, some are given minimal screentime to take effect, but very few are effective and there are too many stops, resulting in too many characters to digest. Mendes could've lost a couple and came out with a better overall movie, just lacking one or two showy names in showy turns.

For the most part, though, this is a nicely played, lovely movie, about a couple growing up because they have to, and realising they may not be as bad at it as they initially feared.

Review by Mike Sheridan