Away We Go

One rule I follow to grant a five star rating to a film is getting goosebumps while watching it. In Away We Go I felt them in basically every scene with a song, so very often. The story is not very original, but Mendes’s subtle and sensitive approach to the narration turns an ordinary “roaringly independent” comedy-drama into something more than a movie that you will forget overnight. Where Czech comedies full of ordinary Czech people try to look real, Mendes’s latest film looks exactly like that, even though you (almost) don’t see the kind of ordinary people that would be familiar to us. Away We Go captivated me in several ways: the stroller scene was comedy gold, the playful shot of the plane taking off, the scene at the bar, the romantic climax  on a trampoline, and the new home. And it’s not by chance that these moments are smartly placed apart from the course of the film, this is what it looks like when a film is made by someone who knows exactly what they are doing. I wanted to give it four stars, because at first I felt that the last two episodes had lost some of the pace and the humour, but then I realised that they had their place in the story and the ending wouldn’t have worked out well without them. 9/10% PS: What’s most interesting is that you can’t choose the best film from Mendes’s family drama trilogy (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road and Away We Go), because each of them is very different and can’t be compared to the others. (30.07.2009)

The criticisms that many are sure to have toward the film are certainly justified, but I can't do otherwise given the perfectly positive atmosphere. In a way, Mendes is actually still doing the same thing, but it's a little different this time and it works (for me). This time he succeeded by betting on the "ordinariness" of the plot and fantastic actors. It’s ninety minutes that caress the soul, with the bonus of a beautiful ending. (28.09.2009)

A heartfelt affair, but more for Mendes than for me, about the fact that life after thirty doesn’t need to be stressful and also “how to go on in life". Just a nice prequel to Mendes’ previous movie. With one difference. The central duo are nice guys that you see far too little of on screen, so I was wishing with all my heart for them not to settle at the Revolutionary Road address, so avoiding the fate that met Frank and April Wheeler. (03.08.2009)

The first film by Sam Mendes, which I had never seen, but as they say, when you have to, you have to. The fact is that I hadn't missed out on anything. Some movies provoke me, but this one simply put me to sleep. This title could be a synonym for the word boredom for me. I admit that I didn't have the strength to finish it, and 15 minutes before the end, I gave up, even though I usually make up for it by fast-forwarding. I just seriously found myself in stasis with the characters and their confessions. Don't ask me what the film was about because if I remember correctly, it was ten o'clock in the morning when I started watching it, and I counted about eight micro naps. It's a strange road movie about people and situations that were supposed to be interesting and funny, but none of that happened for me. Overall impression: 20%. (09.04.2012)

Sam Mendes ist für mich ein Regisseur, der seinen Schatten in Form der American Beauty nicht überschreitet. Er hat die Latte eben zu hoch angelegt, und ich denke auch, dass für ihn Beziehungsdramen-komödien überhaupt nicht passend sind, dieser Film war noch schwächer als Zeiten des Aufruhrs, wo man sich zumindest auf die hervorragenden schauspielerischen Leistungen konzentrieren konnte. Hier ist das Hauptpaar recht unsympathisch, für Mendes hat es sich nicht ausgezahlt, auf unbekannte Gesichter zu setzen. Er ist ein besserwisserischer Dummkopf und sie eine weinerliche graue Maus. Gemeinsam besuchen sie noch unsympathischere, verrückte Paare, vor allem die Eltern sind wirklich schier unglaublich. Das ist eben Mendes´ Problem, ebenso wie in Zeiten des Aufruhrs, seine Figuren sind unglaubwürdig, nicht lebendig, so als hätte er sich bemüht, die Realität der normalen Menschen zu schildern, doch solche Figuren, wie er sie schafft und Situationen, in die er sie hineinstellt, wirken lächerlich und schlussendlich irreal. Wenn Mendes wieder auf ein Piedestal gelangen möchte, sollte er zu seinen Wurzeln zurückkehren. (17.01.2010)

Sam Mendes is one of my favorites. Apart from his undeniable creative qualities, this is mainly because he is not shy about making advertisements for American society that are not always flattering. The story of his latest film is perhaps not even some hidden harsh criticism of American society, but rather he tries to present different types of people with different characters and different values in life (which certainly need not be limited to Americans). Basically, it is a simple story, but its charm lies in this minimalism – the incredibly likable main couple with all their sorrows and doubts will win your heart very easily (yet in a very gentle and appealing way). Funny, clever, and touching at the same time. One of the few films that are sincere and feel natural. Anyone who sees it as calculating probably doesn't like strollers. :)) (01.04.2012)