By Heather Christie 
How many films begin with a couple of decadent hipsters performing oral sex in a postage-stamp-sized hovel somewhere in northern-middle-America? Ok, so maybe not that many, but you must know that general feeling of laissez-faire shabby-chic that pervades all too many flicks being produced these days.  She (Maya Rudolph), an artiste and he (John Krasinski) a barely-successful insurance hocker are all but ripe bate for yet another painful flick about growing up and facing quote-unquote reality.  

But if you thought that this was just yet another self-indulgent dead-horse story about a couple of cute-and-quirky kids-at-heart, take heart! This most recent Sam Mendes flick is a keeper.  A coming-of-age story of sorts paired with a cross-country odyssey, Away We Go details the journey of Burt, Verona, and their unborn child as they find a suitable home—not that there’s anything wrong with their heatless hovel — to begin their family.  

Along the way are some hilarious lessons about parenting—not only your kids, but also yourself.  The liquored up mummy Lily (Alison Janney) shows Burt and Verona that it’s much more fun to be a less-than-positive role model for the little offspring.  LN (Maggie Gyllenhaal) rants to Burt and Verona about the perils of sugar, separation, and strollers– though, thankfully, to little effect.  

At the end of the day, this movie is about that perennial question that hits home way before parenthood: Are we going to be f*ck-ups?  With some fabulous music courtesy of Alexi Murdoch—yeah, you’ve heard from him before, on the Garden State Soundtrack – and some beautiful wide-angle shots of the American landscape, plus a bunch of sincerely laugh-out-loud moments, this flick takes the “dul” out of adulthood.