And do you promise that if I die some embarrassing and boring death that you're gonna tell our daughter that her father was killed by Russian soldiers in this intense hand-to-hand combat in an attempt to save the lives of 850 Chechnyan orphans?

Away We Go

(Sam Mendes, 2009)

As usual, this came via netflix, and it took me a good month or two before I actually sat down and watched it. But I. LOVED. it. Though, to be fair, I shouldn't have expected anything less. It comes from the man behind American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, and Revolutionary Road... all of which I love. The quirky indie is definitely a step in a different direction from the dark dramas expected from the estranged husband of Kate Winslet... but one that worked out really, really well. And it could have gone horribly wrong, like when Michel Gondry made Be Kind, Rewind, which wasn't even that much of a stretch for him.

The story is basically, she's pregnant, and with his family's upcoming departure, the couple decides they can move wherever they want. They try out a handful of different cities where they have connections, and at each city they realize more of what they don't want and who they don't want to be as parents.

The dry humor is perfect, and Maya Rudolph and John Krasinksi are incredibly well suited together, and so my love affair for John Krasinksi began (only to be further deepened when I started "The Office" and discovered the brilliance of Jim). John's character is more subdued than his Office counterpart, and with a full beard and glasses he looks the part. All the characters - main and supporting - are hilarious, especially Maggie Gyllenhaal (who, I admit, I have a slight bias for since I really want to be a Gyllenhaal and part of that quirky family), whose hippie character with toddlers still breastfeeding and an aversion to strollers had me rolling.

It's written by Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and wife Vendela Vida (Girls on the Verge), and the real-life couple write so well together, and create these full characters with moments that true to them... laughs that aren't just for laughs sake, but are part of the character, part of their story, part of their history.

One of my new favorites. Definitely.

13. Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen starting with each letter of the Alphabet

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