What was once the exterior of a house is now a path in my back garden. I’m so pleased how it turned out. When the apartment building across the street is finally demolished I might salvage enough wheelbarrow-fuls to extend the path into my side garden.
Categories: garden photos · urban garden
Tagged: garden, urban garden
With the movie poster’s school-notebook title font and pregnancy-centered storyline, it might seem like Away We Go is a deliberate attempt to cash in on Juno’s box office success. Yet this grown-up comedy starring Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski has a sweet charm all its own and could become another indie sleeper hit. It’s already my favorite film of the year.
Directed with restraint and thoughtfulness by Sam Mendes and anchored by an honest, understated performance from Rudolph, Away We Go follows thirtysomethings Burt and Verona as they travel across and outside the country to find the best place to raise their unborn child. There’s an early indication where the couple will eventually settle, but the encounters with family and old friends along the way is what makes the film so special.
We’re introduced to some shocking and bizarre examples of parenting, from the truly insensible to the overly attentive. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new age feminist is a memorable standout. Later the troubles aren’t as evident, as is the case with two married college friends and their seemingly happy bustling household.
But at the heart of the film is Burt and Verona, one of the most believable screen couples I’ve seen in a long time. As their journey progresses, initial concerns about starting a family eventually lead to questions about the everyday nature of happiness and regret. And it’s made credible mostly by Maya Rudolph, who contributes so much to scenes with just an expression and quietly counterbalances Krasinski’s moments of upbeat goofiness from becoming self-indulgent routines.
By the end, two sets of doors open. One completing the couple’s search and the other marking the journey that lies ahead as parents. Burt and Verona just don’t find a place to live. They discover a home and have realized how it can be a happy one.
Floating back and forth between humor and insight, Away We Go is a rewarding examination of family and relationships.
Categories: movies · review
Tagged: Away We Go, Maya Rudolph, movie, review
