Published: Wednesday, 23rd September, 2009 4:56pm

Film File - Away We Go

Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are a 30-something couple who finally get a reality check to leave their carefree days behind when she becomes pregnant.

Deciding that their imminent offspring deserves the best possible environment in which to grow up, the pair opt to cross the great expanse of America in search of the ideal patch of paradise. With Verona's parents already dead, they first turn to Burt's folks, Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara), for advice, only to find a couple utterly self-absorbed on their upcoming plan to relocate to Antwerp four weeks before the scheduled birth of their grandchild.

As Verona is of mixed race heritage, Gloria's only interest runs to, "Will the baby be black?". After that blind alley, the pair head to Phoenix, Arizona, where an old work colleague of Verona's lives. Trouble also looms there, however, with the pair barely off the plane when they get the full-on force of Lily (Allison Janney) and her totally dysfunctional family.

Lily likes a drink, often well before lunchtime, and tells the couple that it doesn't really matter where they decide to put down roots because "kids are genetically predetermined - they're screwed up in the womb". So far, so bad. Next stop is Madison, Wisconsin, and a visit to Burt's cousin, Ellen (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who now goes by the moniker LN.

A former flower child who now adheres rigidly to a parenting life lived by the three S's - no separation, no sugar and no strollers. Along with her long-suffering husband Roderick (Josh Hamilton), the couple carry the no separation from their kids ideal to the ultimate degree - even in the bedroom. Another dead end.

The wandering pair then head to Montreal to hook up with their old college friends Tom (Chris Messina) and Munch (Melanie Lynskey), who have surrounded themselves with an adopted family while still trying unsuccessfully for a brood of their own. Tom's advice on parenting runs no further than letting the kids watch anything after 'So Long, Farewell' in 'The Sound of Music' - "They can learn about the whole Nazi thing later on," he says.

Directed by Sam Mendes and written by the husband and wife team Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, 'Away We Go' is a departure from the director's usual big budget efforts into the indie stream - a move that works. With a script that manages mostly to avoid sentimentality, it produces many a sharp angle to the modern joys of parenthood with a number of laugh out loud moments scattered throughout.

Backed with a cast of solid co-stars who make each new location more attractive than before, the film rightly belongs to Krasinski and Rudolph, a winning pair of actors whose naïve expectations will strike a chord with anyone who has ever worn the optimistic rose-tinted spectacles of the about-to-be parent. Krasinski stays close to his character from the US version of 'The Office', while former 'Saturday Night Live' comedienne Rudolph acts as a perfect foil to her beloved's hippy-dippy personality.

Adding to its overall credibility is the fact that 'Away We Go' was made as a 'green' production with alternative fuels used throughout the filming process. A definite first for the normally wasteful film industry.