Maggie Gyllenhaal, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph in "Away We Go," Focus Features, 2009

DE: That's because I've seen every movie ever made, basically. "Well, remember in 1978, when 'Cannonball Run III' came out..." I have a weird memory for that stuff.

I'd like to believe that's what really inspired the cross-country trip in "Away We Go."

DE: [laughs.] That would be funny, to go on a press tour and just talk about "Cannonball Run III" the whole time. I don't know if there really is a "Cannonball Run III." [NOTE: Yes, 1989's "Speed Zone!" is technically the threequel.] The guy we were really studying at the time was Hal Ashby. We went through an Ashby binge, re-watching everything we'd seen when we were younger. I remember watching "Harold and Maude" when I was maybe 12 at a revival theater, and he [still] seems to have something different that I don't think anyone else was able to achieve. It's realistic and gritty, but then there's something magical about most of those movies, where it can be almost surreal but still reined in and believable. They all have that fabric of their era. When Sam took ["Away We Go"] on, we said, "We were thinking about Hal Ashby and his look and time." He was like, "Yes! Yes!" It turned out Sam was a huge devotee, and he had an actual print of "The Landlord," which nobody has.

Dave, you also co-wrote Spike Jonze's upcoming adaptation of the children's classic "Where the Wild Things Are," which you worked on first. Did you learn anything that helped on "Away We Go"?

DE: Yeah. Spike's a good friend. We goof around and have fun writing together, so in that way it was similar, writing with a close friend. That was my first experience, so I had no idea about the form. Spike was learning, too. That was what led to this, because it seemed like a form that was approachable. I had learned a few things and started reading a lot of screenplays, and then bought the software. [laughs] The first draft of "Where the Wild Things Are" was written on Microsoft Word because I didn't even know there was software. I was afraid to buy it: "Boy, that's expensive. I can't afford $500 software." Having used it, I think it's really nice. When Vendela and I started taking notes and writing a few scenes, it seemed more doable. So, this wouldn't have happened without Spike calling me up back in 2003 to work on "Where the Wild Things Are." He taught both of us an infinite amount.

News in the indie film industry still tends to be mostly gloomy these days. Has the literary world and landscape changed much now compared to when you were first published?

DE: We're a little out of time because 99 percent of what we do is the printed word, publishing books and very long magazines with no ads. We're swimming in different waters than a lot of our friends, having to contend with the changing media. For us, to be able to concentrate, we don't have internet at home, for example, because we had to put a levee up against that ever-rising tide. That's the way for us to control our intake. There's a lot of media really affected by all these changes, but what's funny is that the book world has kind of stayed constant. Sales are about what they always were, we've found.

We have young students in high school -- we teach classes -- and they read seemingly the same amount that we did when we were their age, so there's always going to be a love of the printed word and holding a book in your hands. At least, that's how we go about our lives. We're Pollyanna-ish and feel there's always going to be a place for books on paper with binding and holding it and reading it in the tub.

Technically, "Away We Go" is a summer movie. Any blockbusters you're looking forward to?

DE: We don't get to go to the movies as much. We often have to wait for DVD. But everything I've heard about "Star Trek" has me excited. I'll watch every blockbuster, really.

What's the last great junk food movie you saw?

VV: "Cannonball Run III."

DE: It was a French adaptation I saw, "Le Cannonball." [laughs] Any time there's a Pixar movie coming out, I'm drooling. And I've heard from people who have seen screenings of "Funny People" that it's Judd [Apatow]'s best movie, so we're excited for that, too.

VV: We'll get a babysitter for that one.

DE: And start planning now for August.

“Away We Go” opens in limited release on June 5th.

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