What a refreshing delightful film. The characters are not beautiful. They are not even successful. They are ‘down home people’ and I loved them. Burt and Verona are a happy married couple. She is pregnant. I loved it when he promised her he would love her even if she was enormous and couldn’t lose the baby fat. They feel that they are not successful and head out on a trip to discover themselves.
They visit former friends and some hilarious moments occur. One visit introduces us to friends who are a very unusual ‘hippy family’. The parents and children seem to spend most of their time in an enormous bed. They don’t believe in strollers because the wife states that you are pushing your child away when you push a stroller. Not knowing about the stroller theory poor Burt and Verona buy a red stroller for their host’s children. It is a riotous scene.
Burt and Verona go to visit Burt’s parents. The parents are thrilled that Verona is pregnant but they are more excited that they are fulfilling a life dream and moving to Belgium in June even though the baby is expected in July.
Verona meets with her sister. There is a delightful tender moment when Verona and her sister climb into a tub in a plumbing store and have a meaningful conversation with one another.
The film is filled with incidents and actions that are tender and delightful. Verona is concerned that the baby’s heart beat is not strong enough. Burt tries to get her excited to raise the heart beat. In the train he yells out at her and then measures the baby’s heart beat in front of everyone.
It may sound silly but the acting is so believable that you are taken in with this unlikely couple. Maya Rudolph from Saturday Night Live is so perfect as Verona.
Sam Mendes is the director and deserves a lot of credit for daring to bring this darling film to the screen.
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