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About a half-hour into watching Away We Go you realize that despite Burt and Verona's current problem (which they are teaming up together solve) you are actually watching the life of a Hollywood fairytale romance unfold after most movies would have ended already. Most romantic comedies follow the struggles and forces that keep people apart. And by the last scene of the movie the characters have run up to each other and share the kiss that tells the audience "We're the 2 out of 6 BILLION people destined to be together and we'll be happy forever."

Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are that couple, and you can tell they've shared a similar moment have been happy together for a long time. Which is why we start off at a new chapter in this couple's life, a pregnancy, which they want to be as perfect as their relationship. Burt and Verona have moved out to live near Burt's parents to settle down. When they plan to surprise Burt's parents with the news of their new bundle of joy, his parents seem to have to spill some news earlier than they expected in a hilariously acted scene from Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels that you've probably already seen from the trailers.

So starts their journey to see other family members and couples that live across the country. With nothing left for them back at home they are eager to start life anew and do a little soul searching and job searching in the process.

During all of their travels, you start to realize how incredibly imperfect all of the other couples are in the movie. And the fact that they've built a home and a family around their lives is incredible when you put into perspective how tough of a time Burt and Verona are having for themselves.

Totally different from any of Sam Mendes' previous movies, Away We Go is an indie comedy at heart. Not hilarious throughout, but sprinkled with a lot of humor and the occasional big laugh that it can draw from the crowd. What Away We Go succeeds more at, which may have been more of a challenge is constantly putting a smile on your face.

While the 'vignettes' are nice and definitely have their moments (I call them vignettes because each different city could actually be a different short film in its own right), the real heart of the movie lies in Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski. Especially in between these trips, when they are traveling alone to the next destination. While John Krasinski might have been playing a more subdued version of Jim from The Office, Maya Rudolph is incredible as Verona. Perhaps it was never seeing her in this type of performance before, but she was able to convey a range of emotions with just the most subtle glances. I really hope we get to see more of a film career from her in the future.

I've also gotta mention the soundtrack, which is mostly done by indie folk-pop singer Alexi Murdoch. It's major indie-hipster music, sure, but its pretty addictive. I bought the soundtrack and can't stop listening to it.

If I had any gripes about the movie, there were a few awkward moments editing-wise that seemed rather unnecessary. One scene sticks in my mind when they go to Burt's spiritual cousin, LN's house. The scene could have possible had great comedic timing, but instead seemed a bit off due to the editing and shots lingering too long on awkward reaction shots.

One other gripe, a minor one now that I'm thinking about it, is that the ending was as anti-climactic as it was charming. It's strange because while I enjoyed it and where they ended up, I still felt like I wanted more and wasn't satisfied. I have a feeling that this is a movie I would like even more on the second viewing. Because even though I felt like I wasn't fully satisfied, I still left the theater with a smile on my face.

8/10 - A sweet and funny indie movie that's light on drama and will put a smile on your face if you give it the chance.