Away We Go

So I had been wanting to see this movie for forever, seriously. Sadly, it's not available online anywhere and I had become the laziest Netflix DVD watcher in the world, but don't fret, I finally sent in my DVD and got this one in the mail last week and not a moment too soon. Just the fact that John Krasinksi and Maya Rudolph were in it was enough to give it overflowing amounts of potential in my mind. It's a movie from way back in 2009 and it almost turned a profit in it's release, earning about $15 million in comparison to it's $17 million budget. Hopefully it made up for it in DVD sales, but I should buy a copy just to make sure.

The plot follows Krasinski and Rudolph as two newly expecting parents as they decide where to live after Krasinki's parents tell them they're moving to Europe for two years. As they both work from home, they set out on a trip across America, and Canada, to visit various friends and decide on a place to live.

The two main characters were incredibly well written for each other. Best movie couple of the decade. If I was head over heels for 'Jim' in the office, this character blows him out of the water. He was extremely likable, quirky, cute, etc. I really enjoyed their relationship together and the scenes with these two characters were endlessly funny. Neither character was selfish and they both put their partner first in most considerations. It was a nice departure from the norm. The two main characters had some hilarious bits that were just exuding with cuteness, i.e. the airplane baby heartbeat scene and the attempted argument scene. The supporting characters, as crazy as they were, were all very entertaining. I also really enjoyed the narrative of the story and how the two main characters sort of acted as narrators bringing us along this journey and meeting new locations and eccentric characters along the way, each one of them imparting their own parenting advice as they go.

Indie soundtrack, check. Extra points for a Velvet Underground song stuck in there. Shallow depth of field, check. Unique locations, check. Soft lighting, check. Great framing and angles, check. The movie was laid-back and chill enough while everything was still very well-planned.

I loved John Krasinksi in this movie. It was so nice to see him doing some real material instead of the other couple of movies that fell a little short he's been in lately. I liked him more in this film than in The Office. Major props to Maya Rudolph as well, as she totally brought her acting chops with her. Instead of her funny one liners and characters, the funniest bits that she did was the looks she would give the other characters. Pure brilliance. Maggie Gyllenhaal also did a brilliant job playing a crazy woman. Allison Janney was hilarious. And Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels made the craziest parents you'd still love to have.

I knew I'd love this movie and it was so different than I expected but still so much more. It was refreshing to see a couple not wallowing in their own egocentricities before having a baby but taking it head-on and tackling the more important issues, like where to raise it. "Even if you gain a million pounds and I can't find your vagina, I'd still love you. I'd still love you, even if I can't find your vagina!"