| AWAY WE GO |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway |
| Thursday, 26 November 2009 21:20 |
 Have you ever been overcome by a feeling that somewhere out there, is a city in which you will feel more at home than your current location? That maybe you are meant to be elsewhere, and for whatever reason; you have built a life for yourself in a city in which you are not meant to sleep in? For Burt (John Krasinski a.k.a. Jim Halpert from 'The Office') and Verona (Maya Rudolph), their reason for setting up camp in small town U.S.A. was based on the location of their family, a reason which undoubtedly is very common. 'AWAY WE GO' tells Burt and Verona’s tale of letting go, growing up, getting out... and grabbing life with a hunger for happiness. A couple in their early 30’s, Burt and Verona seem to be stuck in the student mind-set of the temporary. They live in a modest and seemingly incomplete house, they both hold jobs with which they don’t seem to be passionate about, and upon finding out that Verona was pregnant... went to Burt’s parents in the hope for some help. Instead of being the supportive grandparents-to-be, they announce their move to Europe, one month before their grandchild is due; forcing the young couple to re-evaluate their situation, and build their lives again from the ground up.  Finding freedom in this crisis, Burt and Verona pack up their lives, and trek between four different cities in an attempt to find the perfect place to start their new life together and bring up their child. Through this journey we meet a variety of supporting characters, which all represent some aspect of the films theme – raising a family and finding happiness. We’ve got the old co-workers in Arizona who alienate their children by insulting them to their face, the brother from Florida who is figuring out how to raise a family after his wife left him, a seemingly picture perfect family from Montreal who put aside their own feelings for the sake of their adopted children, and the hippy mother; “I don’t believe in pushchairs why would I want to push my child away from me.” LN (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Each segment tells a different story, and at times it felt a little forced, like the four stories didn’t quite fit together as cohesively as they should have.  That being said, the characters of Burt and Verona are quirky and innocent enough to hold the film; capturing the viewer in their struggle for happiness and the imperfect perfection of life. Anyone can relate to their quest for home, their struggle with growing up and becoming part of the ‘real world’, making the big decisions which will shape their future. Home is where the heart is, and this film certainly has a lot of heart.  |
