ADULT BEGINNERS
Radius-TWC
Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya. Databased on Rotten Tomatoes.
Grade: B
Director: Ross Katz
Screenwriter: Jeff Cox, Liz Flahive
Cast: Rose Byrne, Nick Kroll, Bobby Cannavale, Caleb Paddock, Matthew Paddock
Screened at: Review 1, NYC, 3/25/15
Opens: April 24, 2015
Given the convenience of air travel and the mobility of us Americans, we’d be surprised to find members of the same family living within five miles of one another. When a guy shows up unexpectedly at his sister’s home, we shouldn’t be surprised to note that they don’t immediately recognize each other, as they may have been separated for five years, ten years or more. Then again, sometimes a husband and wife living together may scarcely recognize each other, as they may be living separate lives with different occupations, or they are likely not the same people that they were when they first married. Such are the cases with “Adult Beginners,” helmed by Ross Katz, whose “Taking Chance” deals with a lieutenant colonel who takes on a greater appreciation of the sacrifices of our soldiers in the Iraq war and written by a husband-wife team whose comedy “Blades of Glory” focuses on two male figure skating rivals.
Yet “Adult Beginners” is nothing like these earlier works. Instead, done in the Duplass Brothers’ style, the dramedy is predictable enough yet graced by such warm, believable performances from all four (actually five) principal actors that make the whole project more than watchable.
Nick Kroll steals many a scene as Jake, an entrepreneur whose special glasses are designed to compete with the latest Google goggles. He amasses millions in investments only to find the business crashing and burning before it even gets started, thereby losing all his money and friends alike. But when friends disappear, who’s left? Family, of course, so Jake leaves his Manhattan digs for the New Rochelle, New York home of his sister Justine (Rose Byrne) who is married to a contractor, Danny (Bobby Cannavale) and are regularly distracted by their three-year-old boy, Teddy (played by twin actors Caleb Paddock and Matthew Paddock). Though Justine is at first not too enthusiastic, Danny has no problem welcoming his brother-in-law to a three months’ stay if Jake would take care of little Teddy while the parents are busy with their jobs. Jake, who is single, successfully hits on another caretaker, Blanca (Paula Garces) but is too inexperienced to avoid mishaps with the little one. But Jake’s keeping the home fires burning allows Danny to make time with another woman, a situation that could easily lead to a massive disruption of his married life.
In the end, as in so many movies about family dysfunction, loose ends are tied, family units are reconciled, wayward husbands are redeemed, but some pleasant surprises are in store for the audience. The best of these gains comes from TV comic Nick Kroll in his breakout role in a feature film. He resembles a borscht-belt comedian who can snare good-hearted laughs from the crowd just by his looks. He has a face that can change instantly from one of goofy pleasure to one resembling confusion and dismay, in other words the classic feature of the clown. He is able supported by Bobby Cannavale, a hail-fellow type, the sort you want to have a beer with, and Rose Byrne, whose features can turn as well from that of a contented woman pregnant with her first daughter to that of one who questions whether her marriage can last. The bonding of the hapless Jake with the larger and more confident builder is not as central as that between Jake and his sister, but the entire ensemble work together to put across a picture of family life not unfamiliar to many in the movie audience.
Rated R. 90 minutes. © Harvey Karten, Member, New York Film Critics Online
Story – B-
Acting – B
Technical – B
Overall – B
