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.
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.