Away We Go - the best movie you probably haven't heard of

I just want to say that I loved this movie. There. If you feel that I have amazing taste in movies and trust my judgment completely then you can stop reading now. Away We Go is a touching, poignant, happy journey that you'll immediately miss when the credits start to roll. Away We Go follows the story of Burt and Verona (John Krasinski - Jim from The Office & Maya Rudolph of SNL) as a couple who are expecting their first child as they travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family. Along the way, they have misadventures and find fresh connections with an assortment of bizarre relatives and friends who ultimately help them find out what "home" really is to them.

Burt and Verona serve kind of as the narrators in their journey to Arizona, Wisconsin, Montreal, and Florida as they unique encounters with various friends and relatives. This film is a series of great, short performances by fantastic actors like Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara (the mom from Home Alone) as Burt's zany parents, Allison Janney (the step mom from Juno) as a disenchanted mother and wife, and Maggie Gyllenhall as a New Age, weird as hell mother.

This is a small, budget indie feeling movie, but it's directed by Sam Mendes. The director of such movies as American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, and Revolutionary Road. There isn't any great conflict or climax in this movie. You just follow a pregnant couple through these encounters and learn of their fears and inadequacies. You see 2 real people with real concerns who are just trying to do the best they can for their unborn daughter. You meet people who crack you up with their crazy antics, who drive you nuts with insane beliefs, who warm your heart with their warmness, and who break your heart with the crappy hands life has dealt them. But in the end, after feeling that they are total "losers" Burt and Verona figure out that life isn't easy for anyone, no matter where they live, and all they can do is the best they can. No matter what you have or don't have, your love for your family all that anyone can ask for.

John Krasinski once again plays the ultimate guy that any girl would want, just like he does in The Office. He can some how do this and not seem like a total douche. He just seems like a guy you would like to be friends with. Maya Rudolph, who has made her name doing straight up comedy, is very warm and very convincing as a scared expectant mother. She and Krasinski have a great chemistry together.

I really felt great after watching this movie. Its real, it has a real ending, its happy but not "and everyone lived happily ever after" cheesy and sappy happy. I think the point of a movie is to make you feel something, to identify with the characters, and this movie does that. Its warm, and tender, and like I said, you don't want the movie to end because you don't want to say good bye to the characters. Rent this, and guys, surprise your girl with this and you'll be happy you did!