Two Sweet Movies

I usually limit myself to book talk here, but the last two movies I've seen were so wonderful that I have to gush about them. "Away We Go" was written by fave author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Vendela Vida, who I believe is his wife. John Krasinski, the lovable bear of The Office, and Maya Rudolph of SNL play a young couple facing the need to define themselves as they await their first child. Giddily devoted to each other, they leave their trailer home to sample life in other locales where friends live. In Phoenix Allison Janney gives a hilarious lesson in how not to parent, a performance later topped by Maggie Gyllenhaal's anti-stroller ("Why would I want to push my children AWAY from me?") uber-mama in Madison, Wisconsin. In Montreal they witness the sadness of friends who adopt children to try to make up for their lost pregnancies. Burt and Varona leave each city with more questions and no answers, but they never lose faith in themselves or their future. Underlying the movie is Eggers' trademark zest for life while death hovers just offstage. Ray and I both gave it an A+.

(500) Days of Summer is another sweet love story with terrific actors and a whimsical, creative visual style. Serious, angsty Tom (Joseph Levitt-Gordon) and enchanting vagabond Summer (Zooey Deschanel) fall in love, and we get to go along for the ride. We know from the start that the affair won't last, but it's still a pleasure to jump on and off their ride (revealed in unchronological order), from Tom's first giddy fall to Summer's ultimate revelation and a nice little coda that will enable you to walk out smiling. I'll see this one again.