Director:
Jay and Mark Duplass
Cast: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon, Rae Dawn Chong
MPAA Rating: Rated
R
One of the first indie hits to come out in 2012 was "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" as it landed an impressive 77% on rottentomatoes and featured an impressive cast with Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, The Muppets), Ed Helms(The Office), Susan Sarandon (Alien), and Judy Greer and was wielded by talented director and screenplay writers Jay and Mark Duplass who have started to make a big splash into the directing scene with past cult favorites "Cyrus", "Baghead", and "The Puffy Chair". So with all these perfect pieces in place, why did I feel so underwhelmed with this film.
The main synopsis of the film as described by the internet "Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother,
slacker Jeff (Jason Segel) might discover his destiny (fwhen he spends the day with
his brother (Ed Helms) as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife (Judy Greer)". The film's plot gives us one of those clearly indie film vibe, and while the film was good and poised some really good questions about life, I just believe this film could have been more.
The film is not bad by any means, it is still better than most of the films I have seen this film. The acting in this film and portrayal by the actors especially Segel and Helms made me completely believe they were distant brothers strugggling with their lives and it helped me connect to these characters even better than the lacking screenplay could have produced it.
The script and direction is what I believe is hurting the film the most. The film only runs for 83 minutes which means a lot of stuff gets rushed especially the main plot with Ed Helms character trying to find out if his wife is cheating on him. My biggest question for the film was why they added the unnecessary subplot with Ed Helms and Jason Segel's mother Susan Surandon as it added nothing to the film and seemed only like an unnecessary attempt by Jay and Mark Duplass to throw in an agenda that didn't add anything to the film. The final act of the film did make up from the shortcomings that came before it as ended satisfyingly and did a good job of wrapping up all the character arcs of the film.
While this film is not the breakout indie hit me and a lot of other people thought it would be, it still provides a watchable experience based on the performances of Ed Helms and Jason Segel. The film while askings some tough questions about life and the future still falls short when you think about what this film could have been and I hope Jay and Mark Duplass who are favorites of mine, get their act together for their next film. This film is now available on DVD/Blu Ray at your local video store or internet provider.
You can see get all up to date notifications of my reviews at www.facebook.com search therevyoumoviereviewers
The film is not bad by any means, it is still better than most of the films I have seen this film. The acting in this film and portrayal by the actors especially Segel and Helms made me completely believe they were distant brothers strugggling with their lives and it helped me connect to these characters even better than the lacking screenplay could have produced it.
The script and direction is what I believe is hurting the film the most. The film only runs for 83 minutes which means a lot of stuff gets rushed especially the main plot with Ed Helms character trying to find out if his wife is cheating on him. My biggest question for the film was why they added the unnecessary subplot with Ed Helms and Jason Segel's mother Susan Surandon as it added nothing to the film and seemed only like an unnecessary attempt by Jay and Mark Duplass to throw in an agenda that didn't add anything to the film. The final act of the film did make up from the shortcomings that came before it as ended satisfyingly and did a good job of wrapping up all the character arcs of the film.
While this film is not the breakout indie hit me and a lot of other people thought it would be, it still provides a watchable experience based on the performances of Ed Helms and Jason Segel. The film while askings some tough questions about life and the future still falls short when you think about what this film could have been and I hope Jay and Mark Duplass who are favorites of mine, get their act together for their next film. This film is now available on DVD/Blu Ray at your local video store or internet provider.
You can see get all up to date notifications of my reviews at www.facebook.com search therevyoumoviereviewers
Final Grade: C
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