Movie Crush Monday: CT & Away We Go

Well readers, we've all survived another Monday, and between the debates here in the States tonight and well, everything else on the news I for one am exhausted. Which is probably why, of all the movies I could write about from the spectacular cast of Ever After, I'm choosing one of those movies that I watch when I'm having a bad day.

Away We Go isn't mindless or fluffy, but it's so pleasant to watch. To be honest, when I saw it in theaters I was expecting a straight-out comedy because of the cast. Maya Rudolph, John Krasinski, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Catherine O'Hara- this could easily be the cast of the  most successful sitcom in history.  Instead, it's a sweet, surprisingly sad, painfully real love story. 

The film follows couple Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski as they search out the best place to raise their upcoming child. They don't have any real ties to where they currently live, and they have friends all over so they go on an epic trip to try out each of these places. It's a fairly simple story, which is where things could have gotten silly and slapsticky but instead the script and the direction take the opportunity to let this incredible cast shine. No one in this film is just one thing. These are real, complicated people and we get to see the various sides of them through our main characters. It's a script that doesn't need any huge, ridiculous plot jumps to move things along- it's done such a good job of creating characters and a world that the narrative simply moves along with them. 

Like I said, the real standout here is the cast. Yes, they're all incredible actors, but credit where it's due to Sam Mendes for his amazing direction. There's a sense watching Away We Go that he has let his performers breathe- simply given them the space to do their craft well and tell a beautiful story. It would have been so easy to over-direct this film into becoming a farce, but Mendes' restraint lets the actors create gorgeously grounded characters. 

Special mention has to go to Melanie Lynskey, which is how I got here from Ever After in the first place. Without giving plot away, her performance in Away We Go is simply astounding. It's beautiful and sad and filled with complexity. She is one of those actors that proves her chops with every single role but here, her performance and her chemistry with Chris Messina is nothing short of enchanting. 

Readers, if you haven't seen Away We Go, do yourself a favor and track it down. It's well worth your while. 

Happy Watching! 

CT