Away We Go

USA 2009, 98 minutes
Dir. Sam Mendes
Rating: [M]
Genres: Comedy, Drama / Road Movie

Feat. John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Josh Hamilton, Melanie Lynskey, Paul Schneider, Chris Messina

Aroview: An ersatz hipster road movie that follows a 30-something expectant couple as they travel across America looking for the perfect place to start a family.

This comes with a pedigree and therefore an expectation, but dir. Sam Mendes and writers Dave Eggers (scribe of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, author of "A Heart-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius") and his wife Vendela Vida, seem oblivious to the cliches of the indie road comedy as they plaster their already contrived premise with shallow, kooky stereotypes. It may touch a deeper nerve with those trembling at the thought of impending parenthood, but the insights are short-changed for the cheap gag more often than not.

PS: Perhaps symbolic of its imitation status, Mr. Krasinki's image seem shamlessly modelled on our Jemaine!