It must be a little weird for the Duplass brothers to have their new film open the same day as 21 Jump Street as Jonah Hill was the star of their last film, Cyrus.
In Jeff, Who Lives as Home, Jeff (Jason Segel) is a thirty-year-old guy whose life is going on where. He lives in his mom’s basement smoking weed and watching Signs which he’s become obsessed with. Convinced everything is connected his day is set off on a strange path when he answers a wrong number and a guy yells at him asking for Kevin.
Jeff’s mom, Sharon (Susan Sarandon), wants him to fix the blinds upstairs, so he heads out to get that done, but on the bus he sees a guy with the name Kevin on his jersey so Jeff follows him. He ends up playing basketball with a bunch of strangers then later gets mugged by Kevin. As he continues on with his day he runs into his bother Pat (Ed Helms) who is drinking away his sorrows in a Hooters because his marriage is falling apart. It’s quickly apparent that Jeff and Pat don’t see eye to eye on many things, but when they see Pat’s wife Linda (Judy Greer) drive off with a strange man they set of an an adventure of sorts to figure out what’s going on.
Jeff, Who Lives as Home is one of those rare films that manages to perfectly blend comedy and drama. There are an equal amount of laugh-out-loud moments and quiet thoughtful ones. All the characters in this film, for all their flaws, are characters that you instantly care about, even if you don’t agree with all the decisions they make. The script that Jay and Mark Duplass wrote is truly fantastic. And it’s impeccably acted by the principle cast. Segel and Helms have great chemistry together and it’s very easy to believe that these two are brothers despite the fact they look nothing alike.
Sarandon is amazing as well. Sharon has a very cute and touching subplot about her having a secret admirer at work. She spends the say being angry at her sons and trying to figure out who this secret person is. Never before has a scene in a film where the sprinklers in a building go off ever been so emotionally full. Watch for those tears.
As their day continues along many surprising revelations come to light and the film has an ending you’ll never see coming. It’s not a twist or anything, but it is a surprise. A lot of people might try to write this film off as just another indie dramedy but people who do that will be missing out on the first great film I’ve seen this year.
Director: Jay and Mark Duplass
Notable Cast: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Rae Dawn Chong
Writer(s): Jay and Mark Duplass
