A vignette on the importance of seizing the day, “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” falls short of transcendence, but is enjoyable all the same.
Jeff (Jason Segel) is obsessed with signs, looking for clues in the mundane details of the everyday. The film follows Jeff in his stoned stupor alongside his brother Pat (Ed Helms). An errand run turns into a search for destiny in his unfulfilling existence.
There is something quite lovable about Segel as Jeff, and he and Helms make a comic duo. The fragmented relationship between Pat and his wife is the film’s strength. Susan Sarandon offers support as the boys’ frustrated mother, and her emotive face makes a seemingly insignificant subplot watchable.
Jeff wanders aimlessly through life, and the scenes amble just as slowly. The film is the first commercial venture for indie writer-director brothers Jay and Mark Duplass. Their background is obvious from the stilted dialogue, handheld camerawork and meandering plot. Despite its initial tedium, it is ultimately hard not to warm to the film’s simple charisma.
“Jeff, Who Lives at Home” alludes to Shyamalan’s “Signs” but fails to mirror its satisfying climax. Too much is questioned, too little is solved, but the mission itself is worth the watch.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Dive verdict: 3 of 5 stars
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