So lets see… If you took Revolutionary Road and mixed it with Juno, added 18 years to the 16 year old pregnant girl, and gave it more of a comedic feel, then you have Away We Go, a story of a fearful couple faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Unfortunately, they are soon tempted to find a new place to live after Burt’s (John Krasinski) parents decide to leave for Spain, before the baby’s “due-date”. On the surface, the plot does sound a little, well, boring. However, over the time it spans, it delivers entertaining laughs, which lifts you up from its melancholy mood, as well as investing adequate time into our confused characters, with the help of some crafty writing and impressive performances from John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph.

Burt and Verona start by traveling the U.S. in search of a place to start their family, or a place to call “home”. However, they are faced with various different types of families as they travel to find an assortment of old friends and relatives to perhaps help them understand what family really is. As you would expect, these relatives and friends’ families are nowhere near perfect. In fact, most of the funny parts in this movie revolve around the couples they visit. Jim Gaffigan and Maggie Gyllenhaal really take it away during their moments on screen. Gaffigan hates, well, society, and Gyllenhaal, well let’s just say she hates strollers.

With Away We Go, Sam Mendes does a wonderful job exploiting the fear of childbirth and parenthood, and, typical Sam Mendes, Away We Go doesn’t offer the solution to these problems, but instead acknowledges them and (depending on how you look at it) even celebrates them, something Mendes has always had a knack for. This film delivers an above average story about pregnancy, interwoven with “finding yourself”, and an indie road trip, which I can safely say is much different than his last film.

Mendes also uses the cinematography to his advantage, able to manifest moments of our characters’ loneliness on screen without one word having to be said. This alone inspires any viewer to be instantly rooting for a good outcome for our characters. Away We Go teaches you about the beauty of uncertainty, and avoids the normal clichés of other “RomComs”. At times the film may run into a staggard rhythm, but the insight and undertones displace the pacing issues. The film is believable, and the chemistry between Krasinski and Rudolph is authentic and heartfelt. As for Mendes, I hope something equally as pleasant comes next.