Sometimes it is fun to watch performers who are recognizable for their supporting work in mainstream projects to go full indie, seizing the opportunity to play leads in films that, in actuality, aren’t all that dissimilar to the bigger budget multiplex fare that tends to waste their talents. With Adult Beginners from director Ross Katz (a producer on high-profile films like Lost in Translation and In the Bedroom), Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale (last seen in the remake of Annie) join funnyman Joel McHale in this story about a rising entrepreneur (Nick Kroll) who bottoms out on the eve of his company’s launch, bolts from the city and crash lands with his estranged sister and her family, where he settles into the role of nanny. This had to be what John Lennon was thinking about when he wrote “Starting Over,” right? (Opens Friday, May 1 at Esquire Theatre) (R) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2015.