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Away We Go: Happy to Come Along

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:15:09 -0700

Away We Go starts with a sex scene. There's no nudity, it's not overtly graphic, but it's unexpected and a bit jarring. It's certainly not the overture I was predicting. But just as I was starting to get uncomfortable, the moment becomes quite humorous. The hilarity of the scene is grounded in the screenplay (which was written by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida), but brought to life by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Known for their respective work on The Office and Saturday Night Live, the duo's comedic chops may not come as a surprise, but here these two are playing it pretty straitlaced. It's this juxtaposition that makes the film so good - seeing funny people playing serious roles with serious situations that end up being funny.

It's a formula that's worked before. As I guessed from the trailer, the film is very similar in tone to Garden State and Juno. All three are quirky little gems with heavy subject matters and great soundtracks (seriously, check out Alexi Murdoch if you haven't already). If I had to fault the film with anything, it would be that it didn't feel particularly fresh, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

To learn more about the film, and its cool costars, read more.

The story follows Burt and Verona (Krasinski and Rudolph) on their quest to find a place to call home. They're about to have a baby and because Burt's proximately close parents (played by Jeff Daniels and the always hilarious Catherine O'Hara) are moving to Belgium, the two find themselves looking for someplace to live. Verona's parents are dead, so they decide to visit friends and relatives in various parts of North America and Canada where they could potentially set down roots. What ensues is a road story that finds the couple in Phoenix, Tucson, Madison, Montreal, and Miami.

Along the way we meet a variety of characters who run the gamut from looney and hilarious (specifically Allison Janney and Maggie Gyllenhaal's characters) to more subtle and subdued. And this goes back to the overall tone of the film: serious sprinkled with a dash of silly. It works most of the time, but occasionally the antics of Janney, Gyllenhaal, or O'Hara seem a little too far-fetched for what is ultimately a dramatic film. But these missteps are mostly forgivable as the actresses are so hysterically funny.

Then again, maybe these women's characters aren't supposed to be realistic or relatable. Maybe we're supposed to identify solely with Burt and Verona as they navigate through their journey. I certainly did. I also identified with the film's key message - that home is truly where the heart is. It's a refreshing idea coming from the director of the great but depressing American Beauty and Revolutionary Road.

Bottom Line: If you're looking to escape the typical Summer fare, Away We Go is a solid option.

Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Buzz Interview: John, Maya, and Sam Take It Away

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:30:37 -0700

I was giddy when I first heard about Away We Go, director Sam Mendes's quirky little film starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski. The movie's sweet trailer only increased my interest, so imagine my excitement upon getting the opportunity to interview Sam, Maya, and John. I sat down with the Oscar-winning director, SNL alum, and The Office star (on whom I admittedly have a bit of a crush) in San Francisco to chat about the film, which is already open in limited release.

The movie follows Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) as they travel across America in search of the perfect place to raise their unborn child. We journey with them as they visit different friends and family, picking up a few laughs and a lot of life lessons along the way. The trio had plenty to say about why they fell in love with the script, breaking out of TV roles, and lots more. Here are some highlights:

On Burt and Verona's relationship in the movie:

John: The thing I responded to most about the relationship is how perfect it was. And by that I mean both characters are dealing with the same world, the same cynical world that I think that we're all living through today. Especially for a time like now, the fact that you've heard the whole "love will conquer all" thing before but now you see it put into play in a real way, and not in a Romeo and Juliet way . . . I think that when you don't have a job and you're about to have a kid, all these real problems need real people and they need real best friends and they need real relationships. And that’s what I think I responded to most, it’s the relationship that I think, for the most part, most people have always wanted. . . . And that's what I thought was so great about the script, is not only did they show that it’s not unattainable, but it’s a lot simpler than we think.

There's more where that came from, so just read more.

Maya: I fell in love with Burt and Verona right away . . . I feel like they exist in this world because of each other. I loved how honest their relationship was in terms of how honest their love was that it wasn't trying to be some idea of romantic film love. That it was a real love that was bumpy, imperfect and weird, and it had stipulations about marriage and the baby was on its way and they weren't expecting it . . . I loved being a part of that, of the two of them on their own and then it branches out into them out in the world, and how you see them cope in the world, too.

On breaking free from their TV personas:

Maya: Well, luckily my television persona was a crazy person, so I don't know if anyone expected what was coming next. I’ve learned and I’ve seen this a lot with people who I’ve worked with on Saturday Night Live, that there really is an expectation of you to be that in everything that you do. And as wonderful as my relationship is with Saturday Night Live, as a human being and as an actor, there's even more inside my artillery and more inside me as a thinking, feeling human. It's really nice to be able to do other things, too. It’s never really turning my back on the world of comedy, or sketch comedy, or wigs for that matter, but just the opportunity to be able to do something else that’s closer to a real person like me, or a real girl, or a relationship.

John: I'd say that I'm in a rare position that The Office isn't really something you want to break out from. It's the best thing going. On top of that, I'm also really lucky to play a character on the show that I think is able to be funny sometimes but is probably the more realistic character of the bunch . . . I love comedy and I had never really gotten the opportunity to do something super dramatic but I had tried it a bit on the show, so it was really up to Sam to take a chance and say  "I want to go further with what I think you have to offer" and so I was really lucky to have that happen.

On the film's message:

John: In a more universal sense, it's really about that ability to find yourself, in a society that’s constantly trying to conform to whatever is going on now, or whatever's new, or whatever you parents did, or you need to make this amount of money to have a child. All those different things, even our characters are forced to think about where to live, but also bring in how are they gonna have a job, how are they gonna have all these other things that they do have to conform to, and how much of it will they conform to, and how much of it will be completely their own. Whether you bring in any political sense to it, it’s the same story at the end of the day, it’s "where do you belong?"

On how being a husband and father impacted the film:

Sam: One of the first things I thought about it when I first read it, that was kind of the magic about it, was that Dave [Eggers] and Vendela [Vida] had written it when they were pregnant with their first child. It had some of that magical period in it, where you’re on the precipice of a whole new life . . . I also recognized that there's a satirical line running through the whole movie about styles of parenting. And when you're a parent, you do watch other people’s parenting with different eyes . . . But you're also aware, as I think Burt and Verona are, that you are just as flawed as everyone else, you just have a different set of flaws. You're just a little less crazy than the really crazy ones. But there's no such thing as a perfect parent. You’re learning all the time, every day.

On making the transition from directing Revolutionary Road right into Away We Go:

Sam: It was actually really easy, because what I needed at the end of Revolutionary Road was a couple of laughs. It was a pleasure because, in a weird way, I’m not sure I would have been so certain I wanted to do Away We Go had I not just made Revolutionary Road. To state the obvious, they’re both movies about a couple that want to escape, but one of them can’t and that’s Revolutionary Road, and this one can . . . I'm not a bleak person by nature. I don’t believe that all men and women are destined to be apart and nothing can never work, and we're basically born to tragedy . . . So I felt the need to get out there and make a movie that was closer to the way I was thinking about the world I live in now, and this is it. I just happened to pick up that screenplay at the right time. And so for me it was just a pleasure from beginning to end.

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Movie Preview: Krasinski, Rudolph in Away We Go

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:30:48 -0700

Director Sam Mendes has gone from helming Revolutionary Road to Away We Go, yet another relationship-y film (though this one looks far less devastatingly sad than Revolutionary Road). Back when we first heard about this movie, I somehow assumed it would be a sort of light and happy comedy, but now that the trailer's out it more closely resembles something like Juno or Garden State. Except, you know, with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph in the lead roles.

Krasinski and Rudolph play a couple expecting their first child and who "travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family." A nice assortment of cool, random actors pop up in supporting roles, including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines and more. The movie will have a limited run starting June 5. To check out the adorably funny and touching trailer, read more.

Revolutionary Road: A Scenic and Unsettling Journey

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:30:33 -0800

When I first read Revolutionary Road, I thought it might be too multilayered to make a good movie. But I held out hope that Richard Yates's 1961 novel of suburban discontent could really triumph visually, with its lush '50s setting, dark humor, the awkward embarrassment of characters realizing life hasn't turned out the way they planned, and the quiet resentment that breeds.

When I heard Sam Mendes was directing with Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starring, I really yearned for this movie to be great - which probably explains why I was somewhat disappointed by an otherwise thoughtful film. To read my bittersweet reaction, read more.

Revolutionary Road is incredibly artful, capturing the romance of the city, the seduction of the country, and the stifling effect either place can have on unfulfilled lives. DiCaprio and Winslet deliver aching performances as Frank and April Wheeler, two wannabe bohemians who feel obliged to move to the suburbs when their first kid arrives. As with the book, it's difficult to sympathize with the protagonists even as we identify with them; we resent them for how much they resent each other.

The novel chronicles the minute details of the Wheelers' lives from the moment they meet, and blessedly, Mendes makes some tough choices in order to keep his movie at two hours. It begins when the Wheelers are already settled with two kids, showing snippets of their younger selves in flashbacks. Some of the moments where Mendes chooses to linger - such as in the fastidiously drawn-out final scene - are brilliant. But other choices left me wanting more context. Even my boyfriend, who has not read the book, agreed: The movie is missing something to help us understand why the characters act the way they do.

It's easy to imagine how the book was totally unsettling when it was released, and the movie is not without haunting and hard-to-swallow realism. But suburban funk is such a common theme nowadays that we need to know the characters beyond broad strokes. For instance, Frank gets a job where his dad worked primarily because he appreciates the irony. This isn't explained in the movie, but for me, knowing how the Wheelers got themselves into this situation makes the story even more tragic. The heart-wrenching scenes of the couple arguing would be far more poignant if we knew them better. Thankfully, DiCaprio and Winslet can communicate on their faces what the script can't always say.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Movie Preview: Revolutionary Road

BuzzSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:29:08 -0700

I have been waiting anxiously to see what a movie version of Richard Yates's classic novel, Revolutionary Road, might look like. Back when the casting news (a Titanic reunion for Winslet and DiCaprio) first appeared, we hadn't heard of a TV show called Mad Men and we didn't have a drama set in this time period unfolding - complete with spectacular costume and set design - in our homes Sunday after Sunday. So now that we have this film, all about the repression and the ennui of living in suburbia during this era, will audiences be as interested if it's not about the Drapers?

Perhaps the cast and the director (Winslet's husband, Sam Mendes, who directed another movie about suburban frustration, American Beauty) will help to lure people in. I personally think everyone should read the novel first, as it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time. The trailer shows pretty much all you need to know about the story, so to check it out, read more.

Revolutionary Road - Trailer | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

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Buzz News Roundup, 5/2

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:30:02 -0700

Catherine O'Hara and Andie MacDowell have signed on for ABC pilots, Zap2it reports: O'Hara will play the mom in Good Behavior from Rob Thomas, while MacDowell's plot is described as a Hamlet-like drama set in the auto industry.
Maggie Gyllenhaal will replace Toni Collette in the Sam Mendes relationship comedy that also stars John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, Variety writes.
According to ComingSoon, comedian Demetri Martin will be joining Ang Lee's next project, Taking Woodstock.
Billboard writes that The Cure has announced the date of their next album release: September 13, with a new single coming out every month until then, starting on May 13.
Variety reports that iTunes will now offer movies to be purchased and downloaded on the day of DVD release.
If you liked the Christian Siriano-designed blouse that Amanda wore on Ugly Betty last night, you can bid on it now; details on how are at The Futon Critic.
E! reports that Leighton Meester will be reprising her role on Entourage as a Britney-esque pop star.
Pitchfork has new details on the new album from The Hold Steady, which will be released in July.

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Sam Mendes' "Relationship Comedy" Gets A Title - And Allison Janney!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:35:53 -0700

Update: As of Dec. 9, this movie is officially titled Away We Go.

This project already had so much going for it: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) directing, a script by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph playing the lead characters and Toni Collette recently cast in a supporting role. Now, the previously untitled "relationship comedy" has gotten a title - and Allison Janney!

In the tentatively titled This Must Be the Place, Janney will play "a loud, brassy, decidedly un-PC woman who admittedly has a few screws loose. She reunites with a former employee in Phoenix, where the expectant mother/employee (Rudolph) begins a tour of the country with her husband (Krasinski) to find the best place to raise their child."

Now, while I still can't wait for Mendes' adaptation of Revolutionary Road starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, I'm also insanely curious to see how he does with this comedic material and phenomenal cast. Also in Janney's future is a role in an Eddie Murphy movie A Thousand Words in which she'll play Murphy's boss, "a savvy, money-grubbing head of a literary agency."

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Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski: Best Rom-Com Duo . . . Ever?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:30:47 -0800

When reading this casting news today, I got the eerie feeling that someone out there overheard my silent prayers for there to be a) more lead roles for talented female comedians, b) more funny film opportunities for John Krasinski, and c) more promising light-hearted movies in 2008. Now, the hilarious SNL star Maya Rudolph has been paired with Krasinski and given the lead role in a relationship-themed comedy. Amen!

Variety reports that the untitled film will be directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) and "follows an expectant couple (Krasinski, Rudolph) as they travel the country in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family." Other fun facts about this project: Cheryl Hines will co-star, and the screenplay was written by Dave Eggers and his his wife, novelist Vendela Vida.

With Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on the way to theaters this Spring and now this news about Rudolph, I'm overjoyed that some of my favorite female comedians are no longer relegated to goofy best-friend sidekick roles. These are the actresses that I find more interesting and relatable as leading ladies, especially compared to some of what we've seen this year. Are you guys as excited for this as I am?

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Buzz News Roundup, 1/25

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:33:06 -0800

Stephen Colbert's WristStrong bracelets have raised more than $170,000 for charity, the Associated Press reports.
In Sundance deal news, the well-received comedy Baghead has been bought by Sony Pictures Classics, Variety reports.
Lionsgate and Marvel have struck deals with the striking WGA that will let union writers work on their projects, USA Today reports.
After completing Revolutionary Road, director Sam Mendes will get to work on an untitled comedy written by David Eggers and Vendela Vida, reports Zap2It.

Shout Factory has gotten the rights to release every episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on DVD, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Scarlett Johansson's album of songs written by Tom Waits will be released May 20, writes E! Online.
Lance Reddick of The Wire has been cast on the new JJ Abrams show Fringe, as has John Noble of The Lord of the Rings movies, TV Guide reports.
Variety has news that The Color Purple will end its run on Broadway February 24. Meanwhile, Reuters writes that Phantom of the Opera will mark its 20-year anniversary on Broadway this weekend.
NBC is all about competing parents this spring, scheduling the reality show My Dad is Better Than Your Dad and searching for America's Favorite Mom; details on both are at The Futon Critic.

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Kate and Leo Together Again, Not In Titanic 2

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:07:54 -0700

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio will be costarring as a romantic duo again, the first time they've teamed up since 1997's Titanic. Sam Mendes, who is married to Winslet, will direct. His notable directorial projects include American Beauty and Road to Perdition.

The film, called Revolution Road, is based on the 1961 Richard Yates novel about "post-war disillusionment." According to Variety:

[The story] follows a seemingly happy suburban couple with two children in the mid-1950s who find themselves caught between their true desires and the pressure to conform - with explosive consequences.

Oooh, explosive. Well, in Little Children, Kate Winslet aptly proved that she can play the disenchanted suburban housewife, and if American Beauty is any indication, Mendes has what it takes to do these bleak portraits of unsatisfying life in 'burbs. Leonardo can be amazing with the right director (i.e. The Departed), so here's hoping Mendes can bring out the best in him. I hope, too, that I can watch Kate and Leo without seeing Rose and Jack.

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