Rated by critic: Rated by users: Rated by you: \ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Movie reviewer\filmcriticcom\amcphotoimage_1-thumb-62x62-26805.jpg)
Norm Schrager full bio of Norm Schrager In what is easily their most accessible, crowd-pleasing film, brothers Jay and Mark Duplass have created a modern cinema crossroads. It's where the unexpected quirks of the indie world they previously inhabited meet the more traditional arc of mainstream movies, a category they seem equally comfortable in. It's a combination that feels natural and from the heart, and it really works.
There's no denying that with Jeff, Who Lives at Home, their fourth film, the Duplass brothers are full-fledged commercial movie makers (hey, once you get national TV spots, that's that.) The guys who deservedly captured attention with their first feature The Puffy Chair (2005) have adapted quite well, and quickly; the pleasing parallel is that, regardless of bigger budgets or casting opportunities, The Puffy Chair and Jeff are both about brothers on road trips of sorts, learning more about themselves than if they had stayed put.
But staying put is exactly what the titular Jeff, played by Jason Segel, loves to do. A good day involves hanging in his mom's (Susan Sarandon) basement, smoking dope and contemplating the fates at work in his favorite movie, M. Night Shyamalan's Signs (titter, titter). This is standard slacker comedy material, and we immediately feel that even the lively Segel won't be able to save this one from a tired genre. But that turns on a dime.Jeff envisions his life unfolding in a series of small symbolic moments that will mean nothing until they all come together in one super-cosmic, now-I-get-it destiny. It's easy for us and the film to mock him, but the dumpy dude -- and Segel's never been more appropriately hangdog or doughy -- follows a silly continuum of signs to see where life will take him. As he spontaneously decides on each new step, the film ditches its standard intro with a tone that ranges from goofy to gallant, as the Duplass boys unapologetically offer conventional setups, easy humor and plenty of pure innocence.
For those not willing to buy into the construct, Jeff's fantastic cast serves to pull the cynics right in. Segel mixes wishful naivete with his natural comic abilities (at times, he's too conveniently naive); Ed Helms (The Hangover) nails the role of the prick older brother who's lost his way but is fighting to hide it; and Judy Greer (The Descendants) is wonderful at building a realized character in just a few, very well-written scenes.
The film possesses a subtle contradiction that works strongly in its favor: As the Duplass brothers appear to gently ridicule the follow-your-fate plotline, they also use it to effectively build interest and a touch of suspense. Of course, once we're invested in Jeff -- and Segel makes that easy -- we're dying to know where he'll end up, and as the stakes get higher, so does our interest. But all the way, the script favors relationship dynamics over narrative stunts.
And that's how Jay and Mark Duplass have crafted all their screenplays, with conversation and connection taking focus over creative devices. Fans of the brothers' movies will find Jeff's melancholy mood to be a natural next step from the sweet sympathy of Cyrus, and the boys take some fairly big risks in how far they're willing to yank on the emotional tether here. It's a good gamble.
There are plans for a 2012 release of an earlier Duplass film called The Do-Deca-Pentathlon, which will perhaps remind viewers of the short period before the guys pulled onto bigger Hollywood roads. But continuing on their current path, and doing it well, would appear to be the Duplass brothers' destiny. Tweet Comments: Newest Oldest Most Replies Most Liked
About This Film from the AMC Movie Guide Don't Miss Jeff, Who Lives at Home by Norm Schrager The Kid With a Bike by Chris Cabin John Carter by Bill Gibron Friends With Kids by Bill Gibron More from AMC Sites AMC Blogs AMC Movie Guide Filmsite The Comic Book Men Know Their DC Comic Book Movies - How Well Do You? Story Notes for Coach Carter Ten Ways to Get Ready for the Comic Book Men Season Finale This Sunday Bam! Check Out These Eight Brutal Boxing Beatdowns First Came Planking, Then Came Tebowing, Now Comes Draping Quintessential Movies of the 1960sBuddy Cop MoviesBest Prison Break MoviesPulse-Raising Hostage ScenariosBest Comic Book Movies
Go to AMC Movie Guide on AMCTV.com
The Best or Greatest Film Scenes Greatest Film Lines and Movie Quotes Academy Awards® - The Oscars 100 Greatest Films Filmcritic.com Home In Theaters New on DVD Top Rated Columns & Features Trailers & Video Sitemap Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions Contact Advertising & Syndication RSS AMCtv.com filmsite.org Copyright 2012 American Movie Classics Company LLC. All rights reserved. Some movie data from: Freebase, licensed under CC-BYSome additional movie data from Wikipedia, licensed under the GFDL
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar