Sam Mendes Flexes His Comedic Muscles
Will Away We Go Lead to Success or Down the Road to Perdition?
Oct 7, 2009
Like P.T Anderson or Daniel Day Lewis, the CV of Sam Mendes reads short on quantity, high on quality. Away We Go is just his fifth feature film to hit the big screen, and with his name behind it, it has clown size shoes to fill. It all began with American Beauty, the film that set a hell of a precedent. Widely parodied and homaged, it is extraordinarily visceral, theatrical yet definitively real film. Iconic moments are packed throughout, and his unmistakable visual style followed suit in the wonderful Road to Perdition and Jarhead, which although did not quite receive the critical acclaim of it's predecessors (something incredibly unjustified as most critics cited the lack of action as a negative where as if they had fumbled their illiterate hands on Antony Swofford's memoirs they would have seen this is precisely the point) is breathtakingly beautiful. That's right, the Iraqi conflict. Beautiful.
Away Across North America; From Arizona to Florida
His most recent outing, Away We Go, is a colossal departure from his previous body of work. Gone is the visual voluptuousness, with every portrait-worthy frame, replaced with a loose and laid back atmosphere. You could say that Mendes has let his hair down. For this alone, he should be applauded. There is a real penchant for directors to idolise themselves as an auteur, falling into a trap of stylistic monotony and it's refreshing to see someone casting off the shackles of their reputation and starting afresh. Brave too.
Burt and Verona (Played by John Krasinski and and Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby, and with Burt's parents abruptly uprooting their lives to go abroad, suddenly find themselves attached to nowhere. With the perfect environment to raise a family their goal, in true road movie style they pick a few locations based on friends, family and hunches and head for the hills.
Aside from the differences of Away We Go, certain elements are still very much there. Despite the cameras less stylistic, free-flow format, with it's snappy dialogue and fantastic chemistry between protagonists the focus is still on relationships in an ever-changing environment. Whether it be war, gangsters, pregnancy or middle age, it's about those characters facing up to new, frightening challenges, be they personal or life threatening. It's just more playful. And it works! The laughs come easily and it is as laid back to watch as the film itself. John Krasinski is tremendous, showing he can create a character with real depth without coming across pretentious or preachy, despite being half of an almost perfect couple. There's limited schmaltz, praise the heavens.
Can the Fun of Away We Go Ever Match Up to the Drama of Revolutionary Road?
Having said this, there are downsides. The 'comical' cameos with colourful characters not only cross the line of hyperbole, they screech their way through gleefully. Without spoiling too much of the couple's journey, it's enough to mention that Maggie Gylenhaal's turn as a hippy brought on many a cringe. Our heroes, however, kept the boat afloat. Just.
Every plus has it's negative, and Away We Go's is that for all it's lightness, it loses the emotional intensity and punch of Mendes' previous endeavours. Whereas Revolutionary Road spurned serious thought and heavy emotion, upon leaving the cinema will gently float from your mind into an abyss of fun movies. Good, yes. Iconic? Doesn't make the mark unfortunately. Full marks for trying though.
 |
