Bar Stool Review of AWAY WE GO

Ramblings: Away We Going, Going, Gone

Final Proof: 4 Shots



You know how you go to a bar and you meet strangers you've always known? Sometimes you're just hanging out and you feel comfortable and it's not because of the place so much but because of the people. The people feel like home. They're people you can identify with, people so sincere you want to spend more time with them because they don't care who you are as long as you are. The kind of patron that can make any bar your bar just because they're there. They talk and you can't stop punctuating their sentences with "Exactly" because everything out of their mouths is in your heart. They're the kind of people that make you want to have another drink with them because they've got your back and you've got it all in common with them. That's the way it is with Away We Go.

i was a little buzzed (too much wine), dozed off in the movie and i still give it four shots. Away We Go is just that good.



Sam Mendes is English but nobody's perfect.

He dated, among others, Rachel Weisz and Calista Flockart but i won't hold that against him. He's married to Kate Winslet and i'd like to hold it against her. Why am i babbling unnecessarily about him? Because he did a great job.

i'm not gonna be some anal film critic who takes you back into Mendes' childhood and tells you about his dreams involving his mother and how he made the stunning American Beauty and then some other film called Revolutionary Road. i'm gonna leave that to the smart people 'cause i got too much drink on and his history isn't my business. Alls i got to say is that he's finished his "American Trilogy" in style.

That he can do so well with so many different kinds of movies is a testament to his talent. American Beauty was this polished though quirky american tragedy, while Away We Go was an "indie" film in every respect except for the funding. Still, you couldn'ta guessed it wasn't a real movie by watching it.

Another thing. The writers of this movie (Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida) did super work. First off, it's not based on a comic book and god knows i'm pumped to see any movie where a writer hasn't simply done a 'cut & paste' from a graphic novel but actually had an original thought and was able to translate that idea into a full length film. Not only that, but the screenplay was dead on--clever, catchy and oh my god so insightful.

For example, i'm a guy.

My girlfriend, Brandi Alexandra, and i had a huge talk on the way back from the theater and i was trying to remember where i'd heard this (BA denies it came from her but i'm not so sure); all i know is i'm not clever enough to have thought this up on my own: Guys never completely grow up.

It's a sad and twisted reality, and realizing it makes me pity women all the more because they have to put up with this gender that has tons of power in the modern world despite the little boy inside of us that never really goes away. Understanding this gesture from them is one of the secrets to understanding the benevolence of women.

It's like a father who brings his kid into the bar and gives him tons of quarters to play the video games but no mattter what, the brat is always there bugging you when you're trying to do adult things like have another round and flirt with the hot waitress who's only flirting back because she knows you're drunk enough to believe she's flirting and has to worry about the tip your drunk ass is going to give her. She's putting up with, dealing with and even encouraging the little boy in you because women are just that generous.

This acceptance on the female gender's behalf is demonstrated flawlessly in Away We Go. The insights to relationships here is handled with such dexterity you feel like you're getting a massage.

Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)

Sex: 1 Shot



The movie begins with Burt (John Krasinski) under the sheet and giving pleasure to his partner, Verona (Maya Rudolph). Then he talks to her about how she's 'different' and in trying to ally her discomfort, they realize she's pregnant. Very cute start to the flick and from there it only gets better.

For example, Maggie Gyllenhaal is in the movie:







We've also got Melanie Lynskey:

Another pretty talent in the film is Carmen Ejogo (as Verona's sister Grace):

Plus, you know me, i’m all about the Silken Butterflies: those beautiful and talented girls who grace the screen with their splendor during their oh so fleeting appearances on film. Here’s to hoping we see lots more of them.

Here's the young Katherine Vaskevich:



To round of the talent section of the show, there was a cameo by the tragically uncredited Sari Gagnon:



Best of luck, ladies.


Drink: ½ Shot



A couple brief references...

1. In the airport when meeting someone's sister, Burt gives the brother-in-law a bottle of wine and he takes off right then and there to find a corkscrew.
2. On the way to a party/bar, they drink while riding in the car and make a forgettable toast.

Rock & Roll: 0 Shots

No rock, but the Alexi Murdoch folk soundtrack suits the movie perfectly.

Boring Technical Crap

Written by: Dave Eggers, Vendela Vida

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring

Maya Rudolph - Verona De Tessant

John Krasinski - Burt Farlander

Maggie Gyllenhaal - LN

Carmen Ejogo - Grace De Tessant

Melanie Lynskey - Munch Garnett

Katherine Vaskevich - Katya

Sari Gagnon - College Student (uncredited :-( )

Bottom Line

Definitely see it.