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Away We Go

EMAILPRINTFocus Features

Away We Go reviews
58
6.6 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 33 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 38 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Drama

Written by: Dave Eggers
Vendela Vida

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 5, 2009
DVD: September 29, 2009

Running Time: 97 minutes, Color

Origin: USA | UK

Summary

RATING: R for language and some sexual content

Starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Schneider

Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt and Verona are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt’s parents Jerry and Gloria that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there. So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. (Focus Features)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

TV Guide Perry Seibert

Like "Juno" or "Little Miss Sunshine," Away We Go is a small film, the kind of gem that's easy to crush with hype or overpraise. But, the fact is that few movies deal with feelings this profound with as much restraint as Mendes and his crew display here.

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88

USA Today Claudia Puig

A movie with memorable and engaging performances.

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88

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Burt and Verona are two characters rarely seen in the movies: thirtysomething, educated, healthy, self-employed, gentle, thoughtful, whimsical, not neurotic and really truly in love.

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88

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Rudolph, a comic force on "SNL," can speak volumes with the tilt of an eyebrow. She and Krasinski, of "The Office," are absolutely extraordinary. Ditto the film, which sneaks up and floors you.

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83

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Though Away We Go lacks the screwball unpredictability of something like "Flirting With Disaster," it compensates with a unexpected depth of feeling, a novelist’s (or memoirist’s) sense of detail, and a panoramic view of what home means.

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80

The New Yorker David Denby

Some of the episodes are ripely satirical, others almost heartbreaking. Allison Janney appears as a coarse drunk who taunts her kids; Maggie Gyllenhaal is a pushy New Age mom whose aggressive virtue saps the strength of everyone around her.

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80

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

The episodic structure works to the movie's benefit, highlighting the eccentric supporting characters and allowing Mendes to smoothly downshift from hilarity to sadness.

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80

Empire Olly Richards

While cynics may find it twee, Mendes fans should greatly enjoy this (gently) surprising change of direction. Go in with the right frame of mind and you’ll leave with a big, goofy grin on your face.

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75

New Orleans Times-Picayune Mike Scott

A heartwarming -- and at times heartbreaking -- post-"Juno" road comedy for grownups.

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75

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Some episodes are funnier than others, but they're all underscored by a pervasive melancholy.

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75

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

The unassuming performances by Krasinski and Rudolph help make this the first Mendes movie that feels lived-in rather than staged.

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75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

There's something genuinely exploratory and original here in the depiction of people being pushed into adulthood before they're ready.

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75

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Away We Go is not as dramatically wrenching as "Revolutionary Road," but it's unquestionably more enjoyable.

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70

Film Threat Rick Kisonak

The odyssey that follows reminded me of the one Bill Murray’s character took in "Broken Flowers" - and I mean that in the most complimentary way.

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67

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

A gilded entry in the cinema du quirk. It's a movie that invites you, all too often, to feel superior to the people on screen.

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67

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

The film's one extraordinary aspect, which makes it well worth seeing despite its carefully coiffed shagginess, is Maya Rudolph's performance.

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63

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Glib and charming in roughly equal measure.

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63

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

In tone and plotting, Away We Go feels like a fairy tale built on an aggravating collection of attitudes. It's condescending, judgmental, righteous, yet sincerely searching.

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63

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Maya Rudolph's subtle, lyrical portrait of a patient wife and expectant mother enlivens and elevates Away We Go, an erratic couple-on-a-quest film.

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60

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

A self-satisfied film about insecure people, a quirky and episodic comic drama that squanders its genuine assets and ends up not as special as it tries to be.

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50

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

If we learn anything from Away We Go, it’s that a lack of ambition might not be such a bad thing after all.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Though it's nice to see Mendes take a looser, not quite so studied approach to his filmmaking, some stops along the way -- like a detour to visit Burt's suddenly single brother (Paul Schneider) -- feel dramatically off-course.

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50

New York Post Kyle Smith

The strange thing about the movie is its idea that such couples are rare flowers. But you can scarcely take a step in Seattle or San Francisco or Los Feliz without meeting them in hordes.

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50

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

See it for the performances – they are delights from the leads on down to the characters in the episodic vignettes. But the film’s vision of Gen-Y nesting is liable to leave you up a tree.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

One can almost feel the movie Away We Go might have been, if only we could believe that Verona loves Burt - or understand why Burt loves Verona.

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40

Time Richard Corliss

A bloated, criminally judgmental borderline-comedy.

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40

Slate Dana Stevens

Away We Go is like a disappointing term paper by a promising student.

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40

The New York Times A.O. Scott

Does it sound as if I hate this movie? Don't be silly. But don't be fooled. This movie does not like you.

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40

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

An exploration of self-absorption that is itself too self-absorbed to be either entertaining or enlightening.

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40

New York Magazine David Edelstein

Travel--finding the self by escaping the self--is central to the novels of Eggers and Vida, but Mendes knows where he's going before he gets there. And so the subject of Away We Go turns out to be not travel but child-rearing, which is at best well-meaning and anguished and at worst downright monstrous.

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30

Variety Dennis Harvey

Emerges as an oddly sour, unappealing road-trip scenario.

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30

Village Voice Scott Foundas

The road-trippers of Away We Go harbor no discernible ambitions whatsoever, which may make them true to Gen-Y life, but also renders them fatally uninteresting. For all the ground they cover geographically, dramatically their velocity remains zero. Mendes, too, seems to have trouble getting on board with the underachieving set.

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30

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

It's in these vignettes that Away We Go begins to feel less like an authentic exploration of identity than a condemnation of the very community the couple pretends to crave. No one, it turns out, is good enough for Burt and Verona.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 6.6 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

jazmin a gave it a9:
We really enjoyed this movie. It's a bit slow to begin but you end up loving the journey. It's quirky for sure and has some very funny moments. Well worth 2 hours of your life.

Manny R. gave it a10:
I thought it was a terrific film. Negative reviews on the film as far as i can tell are usually from people who either felt insulted or who dont want to acknowledge how lost we all should and do feel sometimes. Krazinski and Rudolph give masterful performances. If you watch it with an open mind and heart you will truly enjoy.

Allen Smithee gave it a1:
Like watching a feature length music video by a spoiled to hell trust fund kid with a British accent who somehow got the money to make his senior year film on the subject of becoming an adult. This only gets a 1 because the cinematography was so gorgeous. As cringeworthy as American Beauty's floating plastic bag "the most beautiful thing". Is this how the entitled see the world? No wonder we're so fucked.

Jay H. gave it an8:
A wonderful film, with rich and well developed characters. It combines warmth and humor extremely well. Excellent writing and direction. The performances are fantastic, especially the two leads.

Yes We Can gave it a6:
This movie loses points due to the self-aware, self-absorbed, indie-holier than thou mentality that seems to elevate the main characters beyond where they should have remained for the entire film - in the role of plausible, relatable people. Casting and performances were great. Direction was remarkable and dynamic. Writing was good. Episodic nature suited the film well. Funny and a few authentic moments.

Marc C gave it a7:
Krasinski and Rudolph are the heroes, and everything and everyone else is so tilted that is made clear. But with the exception of Maggie G and her family, all the other characters are not as one-dimensional as might appear on first viewing.

stan a. gave it a1:
There was one kind of funny scene but that didnt make me not want my money back. I saw this 5 days ago and am still pissed off I wasted my time and money.

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