Reel Critic:

Barely noticed among the mass appeal summer action movies and adult comedies is a little film directed by Academy Award winner (“American Beauty”) Sam Mendes. “Away We Go” features two actors most associated with television success in a “slice of life” story that doesn’t fit easily into any particular genre. The plot is equal parts romance, comedy and drama, and the story meanders as it depicts an unusual journey of self-discovery.

Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski star as Verona and Burt, an unmarried couple expecting their first child. Somewhat aimless, Burt and Verona both have jobs that allow them to work out of the house for the most part. Burt sells insurance futures and Verona illustrates medical texts. The couple lives near Burt’s parents for the support they feel they will need once the baby arrives. Because Verona’s parents died when she was in college, Burt’s family is about all they have.

This haphazard arrangement disintegrates entirely when Burt’s parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) announce they are moving to Belgium for two years. Now living in an area without friends, contacts or roots of any kind, Burt and Verona come to the realization they can live anywhere they choose. They decide to visit friends and family around the country with the notion to settle in whatever locale best suits them.

Burt and Verona are pretty clueless about life in general, and they are very aware they haven’t advanced in their personal or professional lives as much as their friends and acquaintances. They are hoping their journey will provide insights into how to build a successful life as well as provide a place to call home.

Along the way, they encounter a notable collection of misfits and characters. In Arizona, they visit Verona’s former supervisor Lily (Allison Janney), a neurotic suburban housewife married to a hard-drinking lout (Jim Gaffigan). Later, they drop in on two effete academics (Maggie Gyllenhaal and Josh Hamilton) who pontificate regarding their very unusual parenting techniques. Burt and Verona even take a trip to Montreal to visit a couple (Melanie Lynskey and Chris Messina) with a house full of multiethnic adopted children and a dark hidden secret.

Ultimately, Burt and Verona find none of the people they know have it together as much as first appearances suggest. How one copes with the unexpected ultimately determines the quality of life for most people. Burt and Verona must choose their own path.

“Away We Go” is full of fine performances. Perhaps most surprising is Rudolph, who is best known as a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member. Her understated portrayal sets the right tone as she belatedly sets out to claim her place in the world while prodding Burt, a gentle soul with absolutely no gumption. These are two very nice people who deserve happiness but don’t exactly know how to go about getting it. “Away We Go” is almost lost among the better hyped “event” movies. It is worth seeking, but may not find its full audience until it is on DVD.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.