Away We Go (2009)

Director:

Sam Mendes

Writers (WGA):

Dave Eggers (written by) &
Vendela Vida (written by)

Release Date:

26 June 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A couple who is expecting their first child travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of relatives and old friends who just might help them discover "home" on their own terms for the first time.

Plot Keywords:

Couple | Friend | Home | Dead Parents | People Mover

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Krasinski	...	Burt Farlander
Maya Rudolph	...	Verona De Tessant
Carmen Ejogo	...	Grace De Tessant
Catherine O'Hara	...	Gloria Farlander
Jeff Daniels	...	Jerry Farlander
Allison Janney	...	Lily
Jim Gaffigan	...	Lowell
Samantha Pryor	...	Ashley
Conor Carroll	...	Taylor
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	LN
Josh Hamilton	...	Roderick
Bailey Harkins	...	Wolfie
Brendan Spitz	...	Baby Neptune
Jaden Spitz	...	Baby Neptune
Chris Messina	...	Tom Garnett

Also Known As:

Farlanders (USA) (working title)
This Must Be the Place (USA) (working title)
Untitled Sam Mendes Project (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

USA:98 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45199) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Netherlands:AL | Ireland:15A | Norway:A | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | New Zealand:M | Germany:12 | UK:15 | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Leesburg, Florida, USA

Company:

Big Beach Films

Trivia:

This is first Sam Mendes film where Thomas Newman did not compose the original score. Newman has scored every Mendes film since American Beauty (1999).

Goofs:

Factual errors: Verona is 6 months pregnant and is due in June, so we can deduct that she and Burt are traveling in March. Yet when they land in Montreal a few days into their trip, the leaves are out on the trees and their friend Tom drives his convertible with the top down. In Montreal in March, it is still winter. The leaves are not out and it is freezing at night.

Quotes:

Tom Garnett: She had another miscarriage.
Burt Farlander: What? When?
Tom Garnett: Thursday.
Burt Farlander: This Thursday?
Tom Garnett: Yeah. This is her fifth. I know she loves all those kids like, like they were her own blood. But, I wonder if we've been selfish. People like us we wait till our thirties and then we're surprised when the babies aren't so easy to make anymore and then every day another million fourteen year olds get pregnant without trying. It's a terrible feeling, this helpless, man. You just watch these babies grow and then fade. You don't know if you're supposed to name them, or bury them, or... I'm sorry.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (#1.2)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Oh! Sweet Nothin'

Go see Away We Go, do, its got style, humor, and imagination

Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), an unmarried but devoted-to-each-other couple, are expecting a baby girl in three months. They moved near Burt's parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) because they wanted to give their child loving relatives in close proximity. Now, however, Burt's mom and dad announce that they are fulfilling a lifelong dream of "moving to Belgium", where they will be for the next two years. Huh. It does not appear that they are thinking of the coming granddaughter, only of themselves. This throws Burt and Verona into a frenzy of activity, for they want to select another locale to call home, near friends or relatives, and there isn't much time. Over the course of the next few weeks, the young couple travel to Arizona, Wisconsin, Montreal, and Florida in search of a new place to put down roots. Along the way, the pregnant twosome meet up with a bizarre friend (Allison Janney), an "adopted cousin" (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and other pals and relations. Will they find the perfect place to raise their daughter? After viewing this winning movie, no one can ever say that Sam Mendes does not have a softer side, which, to be honest, was fairly absent in his works such as American Beauty or Revolutionary Road. In fact, although Mendes is still wonderful at showing the idiosyncrasies and flaws in the lives of average Americans, this film's sweetness is its core asset. The cast is great, with Krasinski and Rudolph near perfect as the loving couple, while Janney, Daniels, O'Hara, and all of the lesser known cast members do a great job as well. Gyllenhaal deserves special mention, for she looks sensational and is a scream as the "new age" type mother. Naturally, it is quite beautiful to go from one splendid venue to the next and the costumes are lovely as well, especially Rudolph's maternity wardrobe. As for the script, it is stylish, imaginative, and very funny. If you love exceptional movies that more closely resemble coq au vin than meatloaf in the world of films, here is one definitely for you to savor. .