Goolphipp Award: 2.75 (See the Cheap Matinee)
Goolsby:
Away We Go was this weird combination of sweet, sour, and ripe. I had only seen a few trailers on TV, and knew very little about the film. The basic idea, two people traveling around the US looking for the perfect place to raise a family, seemed ideal. I knew this was an off beat movie but was not prepared for the awkward abrasive segments of this movie.
The opening of the film might have been awkward for some, but I thought it was within the bounds of the normal quirkiness. What blind sided me was the character of Lily (Allison Janney). A mother of two, who belittles her children repeatedly without remorse, was too much for me to handle. The character of Lily sky rockets past funny and transforms into me covering my mouth in shock. Once the couple moved on to another destination, the film had no where but up to go.
John Krasinski, who plays the lead soon-to-be-dad Burt, was awesome. Burt scares or tries to start a fight with his wife Verona (Maya Rudolph) throughout the movie to keep the babies heart rate up. It was the random tender moments that salvaged this movie.
Oh, and one more thing. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a crazy new-age mom named LN. Craziness. I loved the stroller scene.
Goolsby overall: 2.75
It left me feeling to dazed to be a 3.
Phipps:
I’m still not sure about how I feel about Away We Go…still. I mistakenly expected something along the lines of Juno. I feel that sometimes the quirkiness was a little too quirky – like the case of Lily. It was off-putting.
The theme of “finding home” was sweet, as were the two central characters, Burt and Verona. The film’s way of presenting this theme felt really disjointed, when the movie concludes, you get it. Somehow, we all end up where we need to be, and usually, it’s a bunch of little things that push you there.
To totally get on my soap box, I liked that the movie presented that you need two committed parents…and that you have to make some kind of marital vow for things to be solid. Although there is no formal ceremony, Burt and Verona get married on that trampoline.
Quirky, strange, but I don’t feel bad about seeing it. I’m not sure I’d see it again, but it’s one of those that make you think about your own life…without making you completely depressed about the world.
Phipps overall: 2.75
Almost…but the on-purpose quirky was too much.
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