Away We Go (2009/Universal Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

After making four solid films in a row (American Beauty, Road To Perdition, Jarhead and Revolutionary Road), Sam Mendez shifts gears to lighter material and the resulting film does not work.  Away We Go (2009) wants to be another road movie with new twists (pregnant married couple goes on the road and they are in love; she African American, he Caucasian) and the Dave Eggers/Vendela Vida screenplay makes a serious go at it to make it work.

 

Helping this are the casting of Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) and John Krasinski (the hit U.S. version of The Office) as the couple, who are convincing enough, but the lack of chemistry and false notes in other ways throughout break up suspension of disbelief.  Part of this is in the script that is more of the now-tired “mumblecore” movement in indie filmmaking, the other in little to say as a film in general we have not already heard.

 

Helping in the supporting cast are Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gylenhaal, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Messina and a scene-stealing (so what else is new?) Allison Janney, who almost saves the film.  However, the film is flatter than the roads the couple rides and I thought the production company (Big Beach) looked familiar.  Why?  Because they backed the overrated Little Miss Sunshine and its recent clone, Sunshine Cleaning (both reviewed elsewhere on this site).  The company got lucky once and will not see their success duplicated as money making formula.

 

If anything, this particular film also feels like a very pale imitator of the great road films of the late 1960s and 1970s and resulted in pale responses from the audience when released.  I don’t even think it will become a cult item, so unless you are very, very curious, skip it.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is a bit soft for Blu-ray as shot by Director of Photography Ellen Kuras, A.S.C., (Be Kind Rewind) and if this is part of the look, it backfires somewhat.  There are few highlights.  The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix is a bit better than the picture with good, warm, clear dialogue and music, the latter of which wants to be the early 1970s singer/songwriter movement and is not always well-chosen or thought out.   Extras include a Green Filmmaking featurette, a feature-length audio commentary with Mendez, Eggers and Vida, BD Live interactive functions and a making of featurette.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo