
Exploring the comedic twists and emotional
turns in one couple's journey across contemporary America,
Away We Go is the new movie from Academy Award-winning
director Sam Mendes, from the first original screenplay by
novelists Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida, and featuring music by
singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch.
Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John
Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a
baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in,
the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered
news from Burt's parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and
Catherine O'Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are
moving out of Colorado - thereby eliminating the expectant
couple's main reason for living there.
So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might
Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending
bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary
to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. The
first stop on the grand tour is Phoenix, where the duo
spends a day at the (dog) races with Verona's irrepressible
(and frequently inappropriate) former colleague Lily
(Allison Janney) and her repressible family, including
husband Lowell (Jim Gaffigan); then it's Tucson, and a visit
to the lovely Grace (Carmen Ejogo), Verona's sister.
An intimate conversation with her sister, who is her lone
living relative, gives Verona a refreshed perspective -
which she will sorely need in Wisconsin, where Burt's
childhood "cousin" Ellen, now known as LN (Maggie Gyllenhaal),
and her partner Roderick (Josh Hamilton) have Burt and
Verona over to their home. After LN and Roderick elaborate
on their intractable ideas for raising children and running
a household, Burt and Verona bolt for Montreal and a warmer
welcome from their former college classmates Tom (Chris
Messina) and Munch (Melanie Lynskey).
Even though the latter's house is full of children, comfort
and joy, a night out for the four old friends provides a
bracing reminder of how much it takes to sustain a
relationship and a family. When an emergency phone call
forces Burt and Verona into an unanticipated Miami detour to
visit Burt's brother Courtney (Paul Schneider), they realize
that they must define home on their own terms.
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