Jeff Who Lives At Home review

           Writer/directors Jay and Mark Duplass have a keen sense of finding the drama and entertainment value in the most ordinary moments of our life. These brothers have since been growing in popularity and clout since their humble ‘mumblecore’ beginnings. Mark Duplass now has a regular acting gig on FX’s popular fantasy football sit-com “The League” and last year their third film “Cyrus”, starring Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly, earned them the best reviews of their career, expanding their following outside of their Sundance circles. This year they have returned with another meditation of the mundane called “Jeff who Lives at Home”, a dysfunctional family drama disguised as a slacker comedy.

                Jeff, played by Apatow regular Jason Segel, never seems bothered by anything. Some of that is due to the cannabis in which he is constantly sedated, and the rest is due to his strict philosophy that all things are connected and happen for a reason.  The film begins with Jeff talking into a voice recorde, sharing his thoughts on the M. Night Shyamalan film “Signs” and how its themes of destiny and fate had a profound impact on his world view. After receiving what seems to be a wrong number call for someone named Kevin, Jeff embarks on a personal journey to find this mysterious Kevin and discover what he needs to learn from him. Eventually he runs into his brother Pat, played by Hangover/Office star Ed Helms, who is spying on his wife during her lunch date with a coworker, with whom he suspects she is cheating with. Their mother, played by Susan Sarandon, is also trying to solve her own mystery, as she has been receiving love letters and flirtatious Instant Messages from her cubical at work. As the film progresses these plot threads interweave and connect in a somewhat mechanical but occasionally charming way.

What keeps “Jeff who Lives at Home” from being a total eye-roller is the charismatic performances from the very talented cast. Unlike many of the Duplass bros earlier films, this movie seems much more plot driven and the dialogue seems a bit more scripted, though there are certain scenes that have a kind of naturalism and fluidity that suggests long stretches of improvisation between the actors.  Jason Segal is warm and inviting and works very hard get the audience to consider his gonzo faith in synchronicity.  Scenes shared by Ed Helms  and Judy Greer, who plays his wife, show both actors going to very sincere and uncomfortable places, hinting at the type of realism and vulnerability that reminded me a bit of The Duplass’s first film “The Puffy Chair”.  Susan Sarandon’s turn as the lonely working mother is a delightfully uncharacteristic kind of performance that shows that women her age can and should be in more movies.

What lacks is the sense of weight that a movie this small needs. Since the plot is stretched out between these three different characters and their separate concerns, none of them seem to get quite enough attention they deserve to fully engage the audience. Weirdly enough, Jeff and his mission to find the meaning of Kevin almost becomes a distraction from the other, more interesting plots.  In the end when the movie begins to tie these stories together it takes several conveniences and contrivances to make everything work, not unlike a bad M. Night Shyamalan twist. You get a sense these directors let the story get a bit too big before they realized they had to deliver on their promise to get everything come together.  

                Though the movie doesn’t have the same kind of substance or the heart of something like “Cyrus”, it has its moments of brilliance and enough comic charm to keep you patient. The cast shines in every scene, even as the plot seems to meander around. Also, to see such a sensitive and meaningful roll written for an aging actress like Susan Sarandon is very welcomed and refreshing.  Unfortunately for the citizens of Pocatello the film is only seen in a limited release right now, currently playing in Salt Lake City. While I might not recommend that that you spend the gas money to see it, in a few months down the line you will more than likely be happy to rent “Jeff Who lives At Home” on a Friday night and giggle on the couch with your date.

Grade: B-

Originally published in The Basic Alternative/April-2012