Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)

Greetings again from the darkness. The Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark, were responsible for a terrific, creepy little comedy called Cyrus. It dealt with a dark, strange relationship between a mother and her grown, stay at home and do nothing son. The Duplass mumblecore beginnings often used familial relationships to find those moments of discomfort and comedy. Their latest movie brings all of that together as they examine multiple relationships within a family, and the possible role of destiny.

Jeff (Jason Segel) is an unemployed, 30 year old, childlike pot-head who lives in his mother's (Susan Sarandon) basement and watches the M Night Shyamalan movie Signs so often that he is convinced there are no "wrong numbers" in life ... everything is a sign leading us to our destiny. After the latest "sign" (phone call for an unknown Kevin), Jeff heads out to complete a simple task for his disenchanted mother. He gets sidetracked on his quest for Kevin, and stumbles into his brother Pat (Ed Helms).

By this time, we have seen Pat interact over breakfast with his wife Linda (Judy Greer). Note to guys: serving breakfast to your wife will not neutralize your surprise purchase of a Porsche. These two people have clearly lost whatever bond they once shared. One thing leads to another and we are soon watching Jeff and Pat stalk Linda and her male lunch friend ... or is he more? While this amateur detective work is playing out, Sharon (their mother) discovers she has a secret admirer at work. Her spirits are immediately lifted as she has pretty much given up on a personal life since the death of her husband years ago. Her friend Carol (Rae Dawn Chong) helps her be receptive to the idea, and this story line provides a nice Duplass twist.

Despite the fact that none of the characters are extremely likable: Jeff is borderline goofy, Pat is kind of an ass, Sharon just seems frustrated ... the story moves along so that each of them grows a bit and their relationships evolve. The ending is a perfect cap and provides meaning, though initially quite a shock to the system after first three-quarters.

The Duplass directing style utilizes micro-bursts of quick zoom in many scenes, giving this a quasi home-movie feel at times. As for the acting, I can't imagine another actor than Jason Segel could have pulled off the role of Jeff. In lesser hands, he would have come off as mentally unstable or just a total loser. Segel's sweetness pays off. It's always great to see Rae Dawn Chong back on screen, and I didn't even hate Susan Sarandon! Judy Greer's scene in the hotel room is so well played, it's a reminder of what a terrific and under-utilized actress she is. Don't expect a laugh outloud comedy, as this is more drama than comedy, though the smiles and chuckles occur in the moment.

Fmovies: Jeff (Jason Segel) is a thirty year old man with a puncheon for the film Signs and lives in his mother Sharon's (Susan Sarandon) basement. His older brother Pat (Ed Helms) still lives close by with his wife Linda (Judy Greer). He and Linda are in the midst of serious marital problems. One day while she is at work, Sharon asks Jeff to go to the shop to pick up some wood glue. Convinced that the name Kevin is some sort of sign he ill advisedly follows various Kevins' around the city bumping into his brother along the way.

To me the film was like a cross between a Wes Anderson film and The Office. It has the odd, quirky indie charm of an Anderson picture but the awkward humour and filming style of The Office. Unfortunately it was neither as good as any Wes Anderson film I've seen nor The Office. At times it was quite funny but these moments were usually fleeting and there weren't many of them. The story was reasonably interesting and the film had a sweet ending but it just didn't mesh together. The whole 'the Universe will show me the way' nonsense was really annoying and although the ending was very sweet, it was obvious and annoyed me.

The film is reminiscent of the Duplass brother's last film Cyrus, which I really liked. You get the feeling that both films inhabit the same world. That film was quirky, funny and sad and these are all things which this film sets out to be. In the end it slightly misses the target on each occasion. The acting is really great but the characters were pretty forgettable. I'll still keep an eye out for the director's future work but this film didn't move me in the way it was meant to. Also, we all live at home! www.attheback.blogspot.com

This film is about a mother and her two adult sons, who experience varying degrees of interpersonal problems.

The first half of the film portrays a socially awkward Jeff, with his newfound infatuation with anything to do with Kevin. It looks like a pothead comedy, which I do not usually enjoy. The mood of the second half changes dramatically, as the characters get emotionally complex. Their emotional wounds get explored, and the film becomes touching and engaging. The ending is well built and climactic, and I find myself very touched by the heroic events. How each family member found emotional attachment is beautiful to say the least.

Though "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" may be a little boring at first, it is worth watching as the last twenty minutes are excellent.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home fmovies. I pretty much knew I was going to dig JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME right from the first scene, where Jeff sits on the toilet, and waxes poetically into a tape-recorder about his undying love for the movie SIGNS. I tend to like the Duplass Brothers, who wrote and directed, so I guess this wasn't a hard sell.

At first glance, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME seems like a bit of a minor film, with it running a scant eighty-minutes, and taking course over a single day. Heck, for ninety-percent of the movie it was a minor work, and while I liked it, it still felt like a bit of a disappointment on the heels of CYRUS, which was one of my favorite films from last year. The film works mostly due to Jason Segel, who's affecting as the eternally optimistic Jeff. In another actor's hands, Jeff could have been insufferable- but Segel brings a sweetness to the part that meshes well with the Duplass Brother's big-hearted, humanist philosophy.

Like CYRUS, this owes a lot to the Duplass Bros., mumblecore origins, with it seemingly shot on lower-grade digital, possibly hand-held cameras, just like CYRUS. Some of the dialogue also seems to be improvised, with the exchanges between Segel and Ed Helms (who seems to be playing Andy Bernard with a goatee here- no complaints) having a natural, unscripted feel. The film also has a very nice score by Michael Andrews, heavily reminiscent of his excellent soundtrack for Miranda July's ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (the release of which remains the last time I bought a physical CD).

In terms of laughs, yeah- JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME is funny, but in a genteel sort of way. You'll never double over in laughter, but the whole thing feels pleasant, and at eighty minutes, goes down pretty smooth. Now, I said that for ninety-percent of the running time, this felt minor. The last twenty minutes or so throw the audience a bit of a curve-ball, with Jeff's idea of destiny having a surprisingly dramatic payoff, that pushed the film into territory I wasn't expecting. However, this switch isn't jarring, and works to the film's advantage, give it a uniqueness I wasn't anticipating.

There's also an interesting subplot involving Jeff and Pat's mom, played by Susan Sarandon, as she interacts with an office co-worker (Rae Dawn Chong of COMMANDO!!!), and deals with a secret admirer, which pays off in a fun, heart-warming way that, again, makes the film a little different- but in a good way.

All told, JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME isn't quite as good as CYRUS, but it's a unique, pleasant comedy that once again proves that the Duplass Brothers., might be on to something with the way their films seem to simultaneously aim at the heart AND the funny bone.

This is another one of those independent films that will touch you and you will cheer for it because it's not only heart touching and warming it provides plenty of laughs along the way it's message and central theme proves that one can discover life and make a connected difference even when one is sheltered. And the cast and chemistry is well shown as "Jeff Who Lives at Home" features veteran Susan Sarandon and up and coming stars Ed Helms and Jason Segel and the work of all blend well into a good picture.

Set in Louisiana it follows the life one day of Jeff a 30 year old live at home slacker stoner who doesn't have a job and beat it all he lives like the crypt keeper as he stays in the basement! The only thing keeping him going is his stash and TV watching and thinking about the world in the strangest ways only this slightly changes some when he meets up with his cocky and business type older brother Pat(Ed Helms)and Pat now suspects that wife Linda(Judy Greer)is having an affair. Aside from that the hard working mom of Pat and Jeff Sharon(Susan Sarandon)finds an unexpected and crazy surprise at work with her boss Carol(sexy 80's screen siren Rae Dawn Chong).

Thru it all this film showcases that a lot can occur in the lives of people during a day, some of it is just unexpected and crazy still it proves life is complex and a struggle and still love and happiness is possible. Most rewarding is seeing how in the film's end a sheltered character like Jeff can become a hero that shows life in some shape and form can be rewarding for all if you just come out explore, discover and take risk. Overall good film about the struggles of life, family, relationships and it shows life takes unexpected twist and turns.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home starts out by referencing a film from 10 years ago. The main character, Jeff, speaks about his love for the movie Signs. That movie was all about signs being sent to us and that we must use those signs as guides for living our lives. This becomes Jeff's mantra for how he lives his life. These signs haven't been getting him anywhere as of yet though. He's a grown-up slacker who still lives at home with his mother as the title of the film says. It's this bohemian free-spirited attitude that has led him to where he is. He seems at peace with things, yet something is missing from his life. His brother Pat is the opposite. He's married, has a job, and even just bought a new Porsche; he doesn't believe in slacking off like Jeff. That doesn't mean everything is going well for him though. He really didn't have the money to comfortably afford the Porsche and you can tell that his wife isn't happy about it. But Pat lives in the moment. While showing off the Porsche to Jeff, they see his wife with another man and start to suspect she's having an affair. Even though these two brothers don't generally get along and seem to despise each other a little, Jeff agrees to help Pat out and find out what's going on. Along the way, they begin to learn about each other and their different ways of approaching things. Pat always thought he had his life together and looked down on Jeff. Now's he realizing that maybe Jeff had a better way of looking at things. Jason Segel and Ed Helms play the 2 brothers and make the best of their roles. There's also an interesting sub-plot about what's going on with their mother (Susan Sarandon) at her job. The movie is part of a recent genre of film called "mumblecore" which generally have low budgets and focus more on the dialogue - sort of like a Quentin Tarantino film without the action. Luckily, the dialogue here is very good and holds your interest throughout. At less than an hour and half (which is very rare nowadays), it doesn't meander at all. It focuses on how we spend our days and seems to have a message of living more carefree. But there are plenty of laughs throughout the film which make it very enjoyable.