"Away We Go" to the Land of Quirky

Away We Go  directed by Sam Mendes (who directed American Beauty) and starring Maya Rudolph (of Saturday Night Live fame) as Verona and John Krasinski (The Office) as Burt.  The supporting cast includes Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The premise is fairly simple -- Verona and Burt are expecting a baby and embark on a journey to figure out where to settle down.  It's a quirky comedy with some touching moments.  Its tone reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine with its oddball characters on a quest.

Rudolph and Krasinski give good performances, but its the supporting cast members that steal the show.  O'Hara and Daniels play Burt's parents with their big surprise announcement that sets the plot in motion.  Allison Janney is awesome, as usual, as a former work friend of Verona's who they visit in Arizona.  Maggie Gyllenhall's character is what you find in the dictionary when you look up quirky.  I wanted more of all these characters.  All their appearances were just too short. 

Another highlight of the movie was the soundtrack.  I loved the music.  I don't usually pay that much attention to the music in films, but the songs here made me take notice.  Nine of the 13 songs on the soundtrack are by Alexi Murdoch.  I was not familiar with his music, but I like him and his music mixes beautifully with the film.  

Overall, I'd give the film three out of five blue sponges. It is definately worth watching and is available on DVD.  Now, I'm going to go order the soundtrack.