'Ben and Kate' review: It's promising

He's a bubbling cauldron of human tumult -- full of joy, fun and a sense of adventure, but also full of need. He has the attention span of a squirrel and the nervous energy of one as well. Then, there is younger sister Kate: She is genial, gentle, soulful and spacey.

Their friends esteem these two odd birds. BJ (funny English actress Lucy Punch) offers romantic advice and tends to the fashion needs of Kate's daughter, Maddie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Tommy (Echo Kellum) is Ben's much calmer childhood buddy who wants to know "how long you're going to be in town, so I can calibrate my expectations." Calibrating expectations around Ben is, of course, impossible.

Faxon brings so much exuberance to the role that he jumps off the screen (and right onto your lap). But then everything feels condensed and supercharged about "Ben and Kate," which plays like a full-length rom-com movie stuffed into a 22-minute box. While the charm offensive can be relentless, and the quirks come at you full-bore, "New Girl"-style, there are still enough funny moments to easily make it all worthwhile.

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