[MOVIES]RANDOM MOVIE REVIEW "Jeff, Who Lives At Home"
07/02/12
BY MIKEY MIGO
I expected “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” to be a comedy, not an independent dramady. I’m not complaining, but I felt misled. When you see the trailer and promotional stuff for this movie you’d think it was a hilarious comedy. The stars Ed Helms and Jason Segel are two of the biggest and best names in comedy right now. Both have had plenty of success and have earned their place in comedy history for their own awesome reasons. What makes them so successful is that they’re relatable and likeable. It’s also the fact that they’re both very good actors. They’ve proven this. This is another great example. The Duplass brothers put on another indie clinic. They did a great job with writing and directing this movie. They’re really coming into their style and their tone hasn’t been this sharp on any of their other movies. It’s labeled a “comedy”, but there is a lot of depth going on here. It’s about two brothers. Ed Helms is the one stuck mid-age hell with a bad marriage and other problems. Jason Segel is “Jeff”, a 30 year old still living at home and living in a different reality. Segel’s character is a sweet and trusting slacker who you want to cheer on and Helms is a dick. Then you start to unravel the characters and realize that both of them are stuck. They can’t get out of their worlds and aren’t happy at all. This of course leads to hilarity. Judy Greer plays Ed Helm’s wife. I love Judy Greer, but her character was horrible. She was really manipulative and unfair. The mom that “Jeff” lives with is played by Susan Surandon. The Susan Surandon scenes felt tacked on because she doesn’t really do much outside of her work office location. It was a good side story, but I felt it could have had more of a tangle with the main plot. I really enjoyed this movie though. It was a pleasant surprise. I was thinking it was going to be “I Love You Man” or even “Cedar Rapids”, but instead it’s better than both of those good movies. If you’re a fan of indies, a fan of either star, or just a fan of a good 80-something minute long movie then you should watch this. I’m sure everyone can get something out of this one. B+
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