Away We GoI really enjoyed going along for the ride with Away We Go. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, who both give great performances, play Burt and Verona, a long-time couple about to have a baby. They live in Colorado to be near Burt’s parents. But when his parents suddenly announce they’re moving to Belgium, Burt and Verona realize they don’t have to stay there either. The question is: where should they go? They set out to answer it by visiting friends and family across the country and in Canada.

Their journey is fueled by 30-something angst. They’ve reached that point in life when you realize, holy crap, you’ve got to grow up. At one point Verona says to Burt “Are we fuck ups?” He reassures her that they’re not but she’s not convinced, “I think we might be fuck ups.” But they both realize they’ve got to find their own place in life and put down some roots. Their trip is at points funny – a visit to Burt’s “cousin” Ellen, who now goes by LN, and her partner Roderick, who have some very “new age” ideas about parenting – and at times poignant – a night out with old colleges friends who seem to have it all, a big, loving family of adopted kids in a great house in a great city, but who would give anything to have a biological child and are working so hard to keep it all together. In the end, of course, they find their place and solidify what they already know, that their home will always be with each other.

Away We Go is definitely a good chick flick – a few laughs, a few tender moments, a good story, good performances from an excellent cast including Maggie Gyllenhall, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara and Allison Janney. I’d highly recommend it if you can still find it in a theater near you. Otherwise, definitely rent it when it’s out on DVD.

One thought on “Away We Go”
  1. I concur with Adventure Chick. “Away We Go” is a nice, sweet flick with an indy vibe. I saw it with a married chick who remarked how great it was to see a movie with “real looking” people as opposed to the Jolie-Pitt style couplings that Hollywood tends to favor (or the gorgeous woman with average looking guy, ala Katherine Heigl/Seth Rogen). The ending felt a tad slow, but overall, I enjoyed the performances. And this is definitely the type of movie that just about anyone can find something to relate to – whether it be relationships with family, college friends, “work friends” or significant others… or just the angst of aging/”growing up” in general. So while this is probably a chick flick at its core, it wouldn’t kill the rooster to tag along.

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