Cody's Film Review: Away We Go

I have always been a big fan of Sam Mendes and have enjoyed all of his films. I didn't care for the trailer for Away We Go,but went to see it because he directed it.This is Mendes first misstep,and I don't know if it's his or writer Dave Eggers fault. The movie does not have a Mendes feel,and it seems like a project from a first time director more than a seasoned veteran. This film is a copy of Flirting With Disaster except it's not a comedy and doesn't have the wit or characterization of that great film. The film is about a young couple, who are expecting their first child, trying to find a place spend the rest of their lives together. Everyone they encounter are Indie Film quirky cartoon characters,who are unrealistic and annoying. With the exception of their old college friends(Chris Messina and Melanie Lynskey) and Maya's sister(Carmen Ejogo) every other character (especially Maggie Gyllenhaal) is ridiculous. In fact the movie only worked when those characters were present and I wanted more of them. I did think John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph had great chemistry and were really good in this film. This movie only works in the last half hour, and thats because all of the quirkiness is gone. The rest of the film you have seen before because it follows the Indie formula. It probably deserves 2.5 stars, but I expect more from Mendes and I thought he took a step back. 2 out of 5 stars.