Up and Away

An expecting family searching for a place to call home, a traveling circus-like mix of cities and supporting characters, oddity and tragedy – all merge to set the stage for director Sam Mendes’ “Away We Go.”

An immediate follow-up to Mendes’ acclaimed “Revolutionary Road,” “Away We Go” spotlights a modern-day family that owns nothing of value yet has enough love to persevere amidst the hardships of life.

After learning that they have a baby on the way, Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) decide they need to move where they have a support system so that they can give their unborn baby an “epic childhood.” Their adventure takes them across the country from Phoenix to Madison, Wis., to Montreal to Miami, and all along the way they meet up with old friends and family. But what begins as a leisurely vacation soon becomes an interview process as the couple tries to find the right friends around whom they can raise a child.

In what appears to be a parody of American individualism and eccentricity, the couple encounters an unusual troupe consisting of Burt’s selfishly inconsiderate parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara); Verona’s vulgar, loud-mouthed former boss (Janney, in a hilariously memorable role) who refers to her daughter as a dyke to her face; and Burt’s anti-establishment, ultra-feminist, anti-stroller “second cousin” (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who breast-feeds other mothers’ babies. With every encounter, Burt and Verona witness signs of poor parenting.

“Away We Go” is a critique of the American Dream and asks the questions, what is happiness? Is it money and social connections? Or true love? The protagonists are unmarried, self-proclaimed fuck-ups and financially meager, but their love is genuine. In the end, what does a newborn child need more?

Heartwarming as it is, “Away We Go” is not the comedy it appears to be. Though it showcases a pair of actors from the hottest comedies on television, the film hits closer to drama and romance genres. Krasinski exudes the subtle idiosyncratic humor he honed on “The Office,” but his performance is memorable for much more than his humor. Similarly, Rudolph demonstrates that her acting chops go beyond “Saturday Night Live” in her first leading role.