Away We Go

[7.6/10] The first half of this one comes off like a 2000s indie flick-ified version of Christopher Guest film, with a bunch of broadly comic characters being mixed and matched in a way that doesn't really fit with the down-to-earth tone director Sam Mendes seems to want to strike. But in the back half, *Away We Go* go gets much better, leaving behind some of its hacky attempts at comedy (despite enlisting an incredible cast to deliver it), and embracing a more earnest approach to the way that parenthood causes to reflect on our own upbringing and to imagine what the future may hold as we try to build a new family. Getting through that early portion can be a struggle, but it's worth it to get to the good stuff that comes in the latter half of the film, alongside a beautiful cinematographic travelogue and some great performances.

This one popped up after not seeing it in over a decade, such a time capsule to late aughts indie dramedies, teeters the line of being too over the top but is held together by the performances and heart