Adult Beginners

Jake (Nick Kroll) loses all of his money on a get-rich tech scheme, and winds up moving in with his sister Justine (Rose Byrne) and her husband, Danny (Bobby Cannavale). Jakes takes a temporary gig as their son's nanny. The trip helps to straighten out Jake as he gets a deeper appreciation of family, but not before some speed bumps are hit. This is standard, by-the-numbers stuff made almost tolerable by Kroll, Byrne and Cannavale, who try to make the most of it. Cannavale is especially good as the happy-go-lucky brother-in-law who doesn't mind Jake crashing at his place because he gets somebody to smoke pot with. Byrne is funny as the pregnant mom who never gets to go out and has a few issues with her deadbeat brother. Kroll is OK as a guy having a mini-meltdown, although he seems more suited to broader comedy. Blink and you'll miss Joel McHale in a small role as Jake's coke-snorting buddy, and Bobby Moynihan of Saturday Night Live as a clothing store clerk. Directed by Ross Katz, who captures some good performances with a script that leaves a lot to be desired. (Available for rent on iTunes, On Demand and Amazon.com during a limited theatrical release.)