Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009)

Evidence that sometimes the people responsible for the trailer should be allowed to re-cut the movie, every joke and edit work far better in the preview than they do in the actual film. Away We Go simply proves director Sam Mendes has no sense of humor… and no touch for it. It's also one of the worst written films I've ever seen. Ever. Everything is written in capital letters, with the quirk ramped up to 11 and its Juno-envy in prominent display. But this film is nothing like Juno, it never provides us with the characters or heart that film had. The ridiculously simplistic story is that Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are taken aback when Burt's parents decide to move to Belgium a mere month before their child is due. Having no life to call their own (they apparently lived for no other reason than to provide a grandchild for Burt's parents); they go out on a cross-country expedition to find a new place to live. But each scene is the same as the one before it, with Burt and Verona encountering a new eccentric couple at every stop (everything about this film is written to remind you it’s eccentric). No, it's not enough that Verona has a strong heart-to-heart with her sister, she has to do it in a bathtub in the middle of a showroom. It's not enough that Maggie Gyllenhaal's character requires you to remove your shoes and wear slippers… they have to look like a court jester would have objected to them. Or that Jeff Daniel's character bought a strange statue, it's gotta cost him $10,000.00 and he should also make an ass of himself trying to explain why he bought it. Also, Burt and Verona are such fake, constructed characters they never appear to be real people. They have no purpose, no heartbeat. Mendes thinks it's simply enough to point his camera at some eccentrically dressed characters and it's funny because Burt is stretching and wearing funny clothes and - look! - he stumbled and fell down! Revolutionary Road had just as many laughs.

Laurel Canyon (Lisa Cholodenko, 2002)

At this point, Hollywood has to be getting tired of dressing up this story in different duds. Another emotional and sexual awakening tale for a stuffy, bookish woman (Kate Beckinsale) and her too-serious beau (Christian Bale, fittingly), every last plot development for this film is easily guessed as soon as the major characters are introduced. Beckinsale plays an uptight woman named Alex who’s essentially a fuddy-duddy (you can tell because she wears glasses and talks about her dissertation on genomics). She’s engaged to Sam (Bale) but becomes seduced by the power of music and inviting nature of fun when they move into Sam’s mother’s place in, of course, Laurel Canyon. Sam’s mother, Jane (Frances McDormand) is a sort of rebellious screenplay creation, a sassy, pot-smoking record producer who’s romancing her lead singer as they put the finishing touches on their latest CD and is just likable enough to be able to goad Alex out of her hang-ups. Hookups are hinted at and then happen, new relationships build and fall apart, but the only thing of any interest actually occurring is the strained mother-son connection between Sam and Jane (thanks largely to its two actors instilling something deeper there than is actually written). Seeing Sam’s refusal to give in to his mother’s lifestyle as a rebellion against her and all she represents, Bale and McDormand find an interesting storyline worth examining… too bad it’s buried under the typical Hollywood hokum.

Up (Pete Docter & Bob Peterson, 2009)

Pixar continues to expand what we consider kids movies to be. They steadfastly refuse to adhere to any sort of genre rules, which helps to keep their films feeling fresh. Last year with Wall-E, they made half a silent film and a love story about robots, and with Up there are again long stretches of observation over action. It’s also another love story, told from childhood to an elderly age and a beautiful examination of the adventurous spirit, how life can interfere in your plans for yourself and the need to fulfill a promise to someone as a means of getting closure. Those are some heavy themes to be throwing into my cartoon for kids and Pixar’s films are all the richer and everlasting for it. I don’t think it’s perfect, although I think things about it are perfectly done (Carl and Ellie’s relationship for one, Carl and Russell’s friendship for another). Like Wall-E though, the best of Up takes place within its opening hour and then it finds it harder to sustain. But it’s hard to quibble about minor plot points and characters when something is so joyous, wonderfully told and manages to tug at your heart just right.