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Opening this Friday, in limited release, is director Sam Mendes new movie "Away We Go". The movie stars John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and it's unlike anything Sam Mendes has done as the film is part road trip/part trying to figure out who you are.

In the film, John and Maya play a couple that discovers they're going to have a baby. After deciding to live in an area close to John's parents so they can help take care of the child, they're all of a sudden told his parents are moving away and their only reason for staying is now gone. After processing the news, they decide to go on an ambitious trip and visit friends and family with the ultimate goal of deciding where they want to raise their child. Along the way, they meet some very eccentric characters who each have their own ideas about where they should live and how they should raise a child.

While I wasn't sure what to expect going in, "Away We Go" has everything going for it - from a great script by novelists Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida, to beautiful cinematography by Ellen Kuras, and a great set of songs by singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch. I loved Sam Mendes latest and absolutely recommend checking it out when it gets released in your area.

And if you've ever thought about all the places you could live and wondered which one would make you the happiest, this film will really get to you.

Anyway, I recently got to speak with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and the videos are after the jump - along with a full synopsis. Take a look:

John Krasinski

  • Dunkin Donuts talk
  • We talk about his reaction when he read the script for the first time
  • How did he make the character his own
  • With what the characters are going through, did that also draw him to the part
  • Talks about the new Nancy Meyers film

Maya Rudolph

  • What was her first reaction when she got the script
  • We talk about how her character is in love and not dealing with stupid problems
  • How many takes did she have to do when Alison Janney is making her speeches
  • She talks about filming in Connecticut
  • Rehearsal process

Exploring the comedic twists and emotional turns in one couple's journey across contemporary America, Away We Go is the new movie from Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, from the first original screenplay by novelists Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida, and featuring music by singer/songwriter Alexi Murdoch.

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Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt's parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado - thereby eliminating the expectant couple's main reason for living there.

So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. The first stop on the grand tour is Phoenix, where the duo spends a day at the (dog) races with Verona's irrepressible (and frequently inappropriate) former colleague Lily (Allison Janney) and her repressible family, including husband Lowell (Jim Gaffigan); then it's Tucson, and a visit to the lovely Grace (Carmen Ejogo), Verona's sister.

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An intimate conversation with her sister, who is her lone living relative, gives Verona a refreshed perspective - which she will sorely need in Wisconsin, where Burt's childhood "cousin" Ellen, now known as LN (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and her partner Roderick (Josh Hamilton) have Burt and Verona over to their home. After LN and Roderick elaborate on their intractable ideas for raising children and running a household, Burt and Verona bolt for Montreal and a warmer welcome from their former college classmates Tom (Chris Messina) and Munch (Melanie Lynskey).

Even though the latter's house is full of children, comfort and joy, a night out for the four old friends provides a bracing reminder of how much it takes to sustain a relationship and a family. When an emergency phone call forces Burt and Verona into an unanticipated Miami detour to visit Burt's brother Courtney (Paul Schneider), they realize that they must define home on their own terms.