I decided to play hooky yesterday; with both the kids in some sort of summer camp, my wife and I headed out for a rare day together and the prospect of uninterrupted conversation. She's been jonesing to see Away We Go so off we went.

Although the theater left much to be desired, we enjoyed the movie. Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are unexpectedly expecting their first child. Their current residence, a ramshackle house with inadequate heating, was chosen for its close proximity to Burt's parents. But Burt's parents announce their intent to move, and Burt and Verona embark on a journey with the intent of finding a place to settle and start their family.

It's a quirky film with quirky characters--perhaps a bit too quirky--that points a lens toward that searching feeling most of us have had at one time or another. Am I doing the right things? Am I in the right place? Am I headed in the right direction? Am I doing everything I can with my life? Unfortunately, these questions have no answers, or rather, have answers that reveal themselves in retrospect only.

Most of us are trained to think life has certain check-boxes and deadlines, and if we make the right plan and fill them in we will achieve fulfillment and happiness. Once embroiled in the actual process of living, however, we are quickly disabused of the notion that life can be planned. One of my favorite lines is from the movie U-Turn: "Nothing makes the Great Spirit laugh like a man’s plans."

We all imagine being safe and secure and not having to deal with anything sad or difficult. It's just a dream, however, and one that can never be realized. Life and all that it entails is hard and complicated and no amount of seeking will ever reveal a place where it's not. Nevertheless, it's the human condition to strive. It is also the human condition to wonder if what we have is really what we want.

In its representation of archetypes, the movie is one of extremes, but not so much that they ruin the story. I think most people will recognize the characteristics on display, if not the characters themselves. Burt and Verona are too centered, too self-contained, more selfish than they think, and perhaps a bit smug without even realizing it.

If you enjoy movies such as American Beauty (also directed by Mendes), Lost in Translation, or Adaptation, you'll probably be a good fit for Away We Go.