"Away We Go" nearly gets away from the filmmakers and the cast.

It's a rambling road film that takes all sorts of dramatic and comic detours. And it nearly gets lost along the way.

Ultimately, what saves the amiable movie is that we come to know and care about its characters.

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Burt and Verona, a young, unmarried couple that's about to have a child.

They've also gotten some less-pleasant news: His parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) are moving out of the country, just before Verona gives birth.

To say they're stunned by the announcement is putting it mildly. The two have been living in near poverty conditions just to be close to his folks.

So now they're visiting friends, relatives and former co-workers — in the Southwest desert, Gulf Coast and even in Canada. In doing so, Burt and Verona are trying to find some place to call "home."

This kind of material is a nice change of pace for director Sam Mendes, whose works to date have consisted of either dire dramas like "Revolutionary Road" or snarky satirical pieces like "American Beauty."

This looser, sillier film comes courtesy of husband-and-wife novelists Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, who wrote the screenplay, and it features two very likable stars.

Krasinski's childlike Burt is very different from the flippant office drone he plays in TV's "The Office."

But Rudolph, a former "Saturday Night Live" cast member, is an even bigger revelation. As Verona, she has to do most of the dramatic "heavy lifting," and she's definitely up to the task.

And the supporting cast boasts the always watchable O'Hara, Daniels, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Melanie Lynskey, as well as comedian Jim Gaffigan.

"Away We Go" is rated R and features crude sexual language and humor (vulgar slang and profanity), simulated sex and other sexual contact, glimpses of nude artwork (statues and paintings), derogatory language and slurs, and brief drug references ("recreational" drugs and prescription medicines). Running time: 98 minutes.

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com