First Hit: Although it is branded a comedy, and it is at times very funny, this film has a powerful point to make about families and home.
The couple, Verona (played by Maya Rudolph) and Burt (played by John Krasinski), are in their thirties and she is pregnant with their baby.
He has a job which is not fully vetted to the audience but you know enough to understand that he can do his job anywhere. He is smart on some levels and clueless on others. She is strong, smart and wondering where they will put roots down as they begin parenthood.
They are living in a rundown home and shortly after the film begins they head to his parents home for dinner. During this dinner, his parents inform them that they won’t be around for their new baby as they are leaving for Europe for a couple of years.
This distresses Verona because her parents are dead and she was looking for a sense of having family around for the baby. With this news they realize they can live anywhere and make plans to visit friends and other family in different parts of the US and Canada.
The remainder of this film is about that journey, what they learn about themselves, the various ways people and families live, and what is important to them. On this journey they find their hearts' answers.
Sam Mendes superbly directs this wonderfully written film. All the characters are vivid and are given room to breathe. Although many of the family situations presented in the film might be enhanced, they drive home the point of how some families’ parent and love. Both Rudolph and Krasinski are insightful and believable in their characters and as a couple; they are perfect in matching their energies’ and different personalities.
Overall: This film sucked me right in and at the end, I simply said to myself and partner “beautiful”.