Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), an unmarried but devoted-to-each-other couple, are expecting a baby girl in three months. They moved near Burt's parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) because they wanted to give their child loving relatives in close proximity. Now, however, Burt's mom and dad announce that they are fulfilling a lifelong dream of "moving to Belgium", where they will be for the next two years. Huh. It does not appear that they are thinking of the coming granddaughter, only of themselves. This throws Burt and Verona into a frenzy of activity, for they want to select another locale to call home, near friends or relatives, and there isn't much time. Over the course of the next few weeks, the young couple travel to Arizona, Wisconsin, Montreal, and Florida in search of a new place to put down roots. Along the way, the pregnant twosome meet up with a bizarre friend (Allison Janney), an "adopted cousin" (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and other pals and relations. Will they find the perfect place to raise their daughter? After viewing this winning movie, no one can ever say that Sam Mendes does not have a softer side, which, to be honest, was fairly absent in his works such as American Beauty or Revolutionary Road. In fact, although Mendes is still wonderful at showing the idiosyncrasies and flaws in the lives of average Americans, this film's sweetness is its core asset. The cast is great, with Krasinski and Rudolph near perfect as the loving couple, while Janney, Daniels, O'Hara, and all of the lesser known cast members do a great job as well. Gyllenhaal deserves special mention, for she looks sensational and is a scream as the "new age" type mother. Naturally, it is quite beautiful to go from one splendid venue to the next and the costumes are lovely as well, especially Rudolph's maternity wardrobe. As for the script, it is stylish, imaginative, and very funny. If you love exceptional movies that more closely resemble coq au vin than meatloaf in the world of films, here is one definitely for you to savor. .
Review of Away We Go
