PODCAST: Allison Janney

Currently working overtime on Broadway in 9 to 5: The Musical, Emmy Award winner and Tony nominee Allison Janney (Juno, TV's The West Wing) can also be seen, beginning this weekend, in Away We Go. Co-written by married novelists Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida (with whom I spoke recently), it's the first feature from director Sam Mendes that I've liked, perhaps because it's so warm and engaging that it doesn't seem like a Sam Mendes film:

Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt's parents that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there.

So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. The first stop on the grand tour is Phoenix, where the duo spends a day at the (dog) races with Verona's irrepressible (and frequently inappropriate) former colleague Lily (Allison Janney) and her repressible family...

...and the rest of this sweetly funny (and from its early critical reception, underrated!) flick should not be spoiled. Janney was even lovelier in person than I imagined as we sat down to discuss my home state of Arizona, why she appreciates political doublespeak, the reason she thinks she'd be an awful mother, and the illicit on-set behavior of Sam Mendes (don't sue me, Sam Mendes!).

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Away We Go opens in limited release tomorrow. For more info, visit the official website.

Posted by ahillis at June 4, 2009 3:33 PM