Away We Go Blu-ray

Studio: Universal

Sep 28, 2009 Web Exclusive By Nick Hyman

Sam Mendes has followed up the insufferable Revolutionary Road with this precious-fest that is slack, lazy, and devoid of passion. Away We Go’s two thirtysomething protagonists (Burt and the very pregnant Verona) travel from Point A to Point B while running into Quirky Person A and Quirky Person B. That’s all that really happens. Nothing’s really funny, no life lessons are learned, and nobody’s really interesting. The “indie” vibe the film tries so desperately to pull off is simultaneously aided and wrecked by the molasses-like sludge of singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch’s morose tunes. Maya Rudolph as Verona and Maggie Gyllenhaal as a childhood friend come out relatively unscathed, but poor John Krasinski, who plays Burt, can’t avoid dropping into his Office character even though he’s disguised in a beard and glasses. The script by married novelists Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida might have read well on the page, but it just doesn’t translate here. Special features include a commentary with Mendes, Eggers and Vida, a making-of, and a look at how the movie took significant efforts to be environmentally responsible.

(www.UniversalHiDef.com, www.awaywegomovie.com)

Author rating: 3/10

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Average reader rating: 5/10