‘Away We Go’ - ‘Juno’ lite … very lite

Away We Go

What hath “Juno” wrought?

That indie charmer seems like the spiritual forefather of “Away We Go,” director Sam Mendes’ attempt to tap that film’s breezy spirit.

“Away We Go” even draws on a similar cartoon-style ad campaign as “Juno.”

Yet “Go” lacks the grounded humor - and heart - of screenwriter Diablo Cody’s sleeper smash.

It may be best remembered for the impressive performance by Maya Rudolph, one of “Saturday Night Live’s” least appreciated alums.

“Go” stars Rudolph and “The Office’s” John Krasinski as Verona and Burt, two love-struck thirty-somethings who learn in the movie’s amusing opener that they’re expecting a baby.

They’re elated, but they’re also somewhat adrift, both physically and emotionally. They appear to be in poor financial shape and don’t have a true home to call their own.

So off they jet from one city to the next, searching for a place to set down roots.

It’s not a road picture per se, it’s more like an air picture.

The pair meet with Verona’s wacky ex-co-worker (Allison Janney), an old hippie friend of Burt’s (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and other eccentrics, all the while ruminating on just what kind of parents their future daughter deserves.

The film’s eclecticism first gets shoved in our faces courtesy of Burt’s wacky parents (Catherine O’Hara and Jeff Daniels), but it takes Gyllenaal’s extended appearance to obliterate any foothold the film had in reality.

The actress plays an Earth mother type who doesn’t believe in using strollers - “they puuuush the baby away from you,” she purrs, and breast feeds her kids well beyond the age of reason.

The subtext here is simple - and potentially intriguing. The duo are worried about the parents they’ll be … and how their little girl will change their lives. That’s more than enough to propel a modest indie, and it’s nice to see Mendes (”American Beauty,” “Revolutionary Road”) working on such a small canvas.

None of that ultimately matters, since the film can’t make us care enough about the couple in question.

A potentially affecting scene comes when they meet a married couple in Montreal. The family seems like the perfect role model for Burt and Verona, but they’re grappling with their own pain.

How does the film tell us about their problem? By staging a Karaoke dance scene, of course.

Even the quirkiest of indies has to take a moment to breath at some point, but “Away We Go” can’t be bothered with things like respiration.

The lead roles are cast with an eye toward the unconventional, and it’s here where “Away We Go” scores without apology. Rudolph, in her first meaty role, brings an earthy calm to Verona in a performance sure to open more than a few eyes around the industry.

Krasinski is on equally solid ground, pushing past his “Office” persona without forgetting his slapstick skills.

But where’s the dramatic tension a film of this sort demands? The couple drives a beat up car and appears impoverished, but the rest of the movie doesn’t explore that angle. One wants to get married, the other doesn’t, but that conflict also fails to bubble up.

The script, co-written by novelist Dave Eggers, misses a few ripe opportunities for reality-based humor. The scene in which Burt storms out of Gyllenhaal’s character’s house is played for quick, easy laughs, but it could have developed into a satirical swipe at both sides, revealing each’s foolishness for all to see.

Instead, it ends with a lame joke about a baby stroller.

“Away We Go” works best as a breakout vehicle for Rudolph and an opportunity for Mendes to wrap his skills around a smaller, more intimate story.

(Photo: John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play expecting parents in “Away We Go.” Pboto credit: François Duhamel)