Away We Go

Review by Sean Lynch

Some movies are just so sweet and endearing they are just destined for cult status, and Sam Mendes latest sweet ode to romance Away We Go falls very much in that category.

Verona (Saturday Night Live's Maya Rudolph) and Burt (Leatherheads' John Krasinski) are an unmarried couple in their thirties, who are expecting their first child (out of wedlock... tut, tut).

They live in Denver close to Burt's parents, with their carefree lives moving along swimmingly until they discover that Burt's parents have selfishly decided to up and leave the country for two years - meaning they will be totally absent for the birth of their grandchild.

With the contricting strings of attatchment being all but severed, Verona and Burt are free to take their lives wherever they please and decide to go on a road trip and travel around the U.S. and Canada to find the perfect place to live, to call home and bring up their child.

Their travels take them from Phoenix to Tucson, Madison to Montreal and all the way to Miami where they encounter family and friends all with their own unique take on "the perfect family" - but as soon become clear, the only way to do it is to discover your own way.

This wonderfully indie-vibed love story will either fall into "I Love It" or "It Bored Me" category, depending largely on where your heart and mind currently sits within your own life.

For hopeless romantics, this one might just offer you the insight and "Hey, They Are Like Me!" fix that you are craving... while those less inclined to believe in that "Soul Mates nonsense" would be well advised to steer clear and see 2012 for the fifth time in a row.

4 out of 5

Away We Go
Australian release: 10th December, 2009
Official Site: Away We Go
Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, Melanie Lynskey
Director: Sam Mendes