Sadly Over-hyped

Fantastic!

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

For most independent drams helmed by either the Duplass brothers Jay and Mark, or their production company aptly named "Duplass Brothers Productions," the stakes are relatively low for the characters. The films are human dramas centered around realism, naturalism in the acting, and complete and total "directness" when it comes to the filming style (this style and approach has gone on to be known as "mumblecore"). Most of the films from this approach have been winning or at least adequate, in my mind, because often times, in addition to exploring a series of characters, some likable, some not, most of whom, however, real, they give the audience complex ideas to consider and themes to ponder about whilst watching the film. They're almost the "what would you do?" series of films.The stakes in Adult Beginners, though, are far too low. At not even ninety minutes, the film races past and forgets to have anything potentially threatening or contemplative happen. Even for this eclectic and minimalist genre, it's a shell of a film that has an idea, characters, and potential, though it forgets the lemon and lime to its custard.The story concerns a hipster entrepreneur named Jake (Nick Kroll), who moves in with his estranged, pregnant sister Justine (Rose Byrne) following the failure of his company on the eve of its big launch. The company was said to usher in a whole new world of technological progress, but when a deal with the developer fell through during the celebration, millions of dollars from investors were lost and, in just twelve hours, Jake went from being a renowned innovator to a complete fraud. Justine lives with her husband Danny (Bobby Cannavale) and their three-year-old son in the suburbs, and, in an effort to rebound Jake on his feet, Justine and Danny pay Jake to babysit their son. As expected, this is easier said than done and Jake winds up struggling to keep up with their child. On top of that, Danny is harboring a secret, Justine is secretly depressed and desperate for some kind of social interaction and companionship, and Jake's narcissism is addressed all while the three souls search for some level of contentment in their routine lives.This scenario isn't foreign to many mumblecore and contemporary independent films in America. Adult Beginners tackles familiar ideas of post-college disillusionment and the cruel realization of many narcissists (or general workaholics) that their ways of life have, in turn, paved a path for them that includes alienation from the ones they love, high stress-levels, recurring sadness, and a lack of free time to indulge in activities that were once top priority for them.The problem is, with that sole paragraph, I developed the characters in this film more than director Ross Katz or writers Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive do. The film meanders on, with impossibly low stakes for the characters, drama that never gets serviced or fizzles before it can really develop, and, in turn, a film that finds itself plodding along in a manner that doesn't make it that funny on a comedic level or that investing on a dramatic level. Adult Beginners is keen with waiting for something happen to it rather than making something happen to the characters or their situations.The performers here have proved themselves capable, and to be fair, they're not the reason this project is so mediocre. While Kroll executes the lacking charm of an egotist, Byrne does some of her best work here by simply being a likable and emotionally honest presence. She doesn't decorate her character in theatrics or impossibly unreal beauty where she looks glamorous going out to get her mail in the morning. She's an honest, overworked, and under-appreciated young mother, who leads a great marriage, though that's about it. Her likability and relatability is high here and she dazzles from her first moment on screen. Finally, there's Cannavale, another fun and charismatic presence in nearly everything he's done (particularly Danny Collins as of late), and his character's duality here - though contrived and a bit of a wrench in the story - is the most daring Adult Beginners is throughout its entire story.As stated, this is like a main-course without any kind of flavorful zest or kick to make it come alive. At most, it's a completionist film for its genre and the Duplass brothers' productions. Where Adult Beginners could've explored the idea of unfit adults getting ready to own the title in their daily activities by raising kids, holding jobs, and assimilating to mainstream culture - as the story and the genre suggests - it settles for something lower than bare minimum, which is its existence.Starring: Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Joel McHale. Directed by: Ross Katz.

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.

'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

I had high hopes for Nick Kroll, Rose Byrne & the other actors in this movie, since I enjoy The League, SNL, The Soup & Neighbors etc. I watched the entire film unfortunately it had an extremely stale story line, to the point I did not care at all to see the ending. Seemed dull enough to fast forward until the end. Character development was non-existent, Nick Kroll should never be the lead in a movie, I'm unsure if its his acting or poor script writing. The script was so predictable & over done. The acting does seem forced & unnatural, not sure why this movie was made, maybe the Duplass brothers have money to waste? If you wanna regret an hour & a half of your life watch it, if you want to laugh & be captivated don't press play.