There are rare occasions when I watch a movie, it strikes me as completely bizarre, and I still love it. The new Jay and Mark Duplass film, “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is one of those oddball cinema experiences that win over an audience despite its idiosyncrasies.
I have been enamored with Jason Segel since he starred in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall," so I jump at the chance to see any movie he’s in. Segel brilliantly plays the naive slacker, Jeff, who is on a mission to pursue his destiny through a series of unlikely signs. Jeff’s quest is not only a series of ridiculous encounters but also manages to reach a serious tone. There is a lot more to Jeff than smoking pot in his mom’s basement, and Segel portrays his endearing qualities to perfection.
As Jeff stumbles through the film he guides his older brother, played by “The Hangover’s” Ed Helms, through repairing his wayward marriage to his potentially unfaithful wife. Segel and Helms were a magnificent duo in the film, playing opposite sides of the spectrum but making their pairing hilarious all the way through.
The strangest part of the film came from Susan Sarandon’s part as their mother, a woman desperate from love and adventure who begins a relationship with a female co-worker despite the fact that she is not a lesbian. This plot twist was a bit of a stretch, but somehow it worked because the audience feels so sympathetic to Sarandon’s character. She finds what she needs in life in an unconventional form, but any viewer can understand the desire to be happy even if it comes in an unexpected way.
As far as indie drama-comedies go, “Jeff Who Lives at Home” is a success. It is essentially about people who have lost their way in life and search for a way to regain the meaning they once had. This movie will have you laughing, borderline crying and cheering by the end.
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Jason Segel brilliantly plays the naive slacker, Jeff, who is on a mission to pursue his destiny through a series of unlikely signs.
