Adult Beginners (2015)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Some things work but most don't in this indie dramedy. For maybe the first half of the film things seemed to move along fairly well, but especially in the final third of the movie it pretty much falls apart with stilted, non-believable, and even mean-spirited dialogue and scenes that were far from entertaining for me. Nick Kroll stars as Jake, a business entrepreneur ready to launch a new product (technological eyewear), for which he's raised millions of dollars from family, friends, and investors. However at the last minute, a crucial part for the product cannot be delivered by a Chinese company, and the whole deal collapses. Thus, Jake, to avoid angry investors, packs his bags and heads to New Rochelle, New York to stay with his sister Justine, who's 3 months pregnant and living with her husband Danny (Bobby Cannavale) and their 3-year-old son Teddy. Despite Jake being an absentee family member for years, Justine takes him in, especially when he agrees to take care of Teddy while she and Danny are at work.The highly talented and vivacious actress Rose Byrne portrays Justine, but there's just so much she can do with this rather weak script, in my opinion. Cannavale also gives his usual solid performance as Danny, and Paula Garces adds well to the mix as a possible love interest for Jake. The remainder of the movie will center on how the family interacts with each other and how Jake will try to adjust to his new role in suburbia.In summary, this film directed by Ross Katz with a screenplay from Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive, can't seem to sustain it's humor and edge over the course of the entire movie, and, as other reviewers have noted, falls rather flat as a result.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie! The characters were lovable, and the plot line was close to nil (as in, close to no drama for the sake of drama, WHOO!) Hudson was a hilarious second character, and I enjoyed his devoted support to Jake; hooray for buddies! I will admit that I wasn't as invested in the beginning, but the steady, almost melancholy beat kept me. There was a fine line that they had to walk with one of the plot points, but they handled it well by appealing to our desire to see the good in people. The last, almost epilogue-like leg sort of confused me because it was a bit of an abrupt shift. I must applaud the casting of Teddy because he seemed very natural, although I did catch him looking at the camera once or twice. All in all, it was a movie about family coming and going, and I think that they did it well.

The story background seems like another classic of s man rebuilding his life after a sudden loss. The main focus on the family and relationship drama feels really nice. The way the movie's script depicts the many small things happening in Jake's life is really nice that it feels so subtle and smooth. The movie literally didn't have any increase or decrease in mood, and just dominantly play on a single track of story development. The smaller things seem unpredictable, although their consequences seem so very predictable once they have come on-screen. The acting overall is quite a good bit. Rose Byrne's acting still feels okay although the character doesn't really need much more development. Nick Kroll really gets the comedy side nicely, just at the right portion. Bobby Cannavale's acting really balances the whole set.

'ADULT BEGINNERS': Three Stars (Out of Five)A comedy-drama flick co-written by and starring Nick Kroll; as a failed entrepreneur who's forced to move in with his sister and her husband, and become the nanny of their three-year-old son, when his company goes under (overnight). The film also stars Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale (a real life couple) and it costars Joel McHale, Paula Garces, Josh Charles, Mike Birbiglia and Bobby Moynihan. It was written by Kroll, Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive (all first time feature film writers) and directed by first time feature filmmaker Ross Katz. The movie is mildly funny, and mildly moving, but ultimately forgettable. Kroll plays Jake; an entrepreneur who invests all of his money, and his friends' money, in a project that fails overnight. He asks his pregnant sister, Justine (Byrne), and her husband, Danny (Cannavale), to move in with them. In exchange they ask him to babysit their three-year-old son (Caleb and Matthew Paddock). Jake, of course, learns about adult responsibilities, for the first time in his life, and bonds with the kid. The movie is funny; if you like Nick Kroll, but especially for it's supporting turns (from McHale, Moynihan, Birbiglia and others). It's also moving and inspiring, at times, and Byrne and Cannavale give good performances as well. It's just not that funny, or that emotional (not in a memorable way). I don't have any major complaints with the film though.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/3LSix0bykDQ