In 2008, a movie came out called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", which starred "How I Met Your Mother" star Jason Segel. Even today, I'm not a huge TV viewer, so I had never seen "HIMYM" before, so this was the first time I had seen Segel in a starring role before. It turns out he's really good! And so I continue to see everything he's been involved in -- everything from "Slackers" to "Knocked Up" to "The Muppets".
"Jeff, Who Lives At Home" is the latest Jason Segel vehicle. Most of Segel's movies are side-splittingly hilarious, but this one certainly is not. Sure, it's funny, but it's so much more than that. What appears to be a comedy here turned out to be an experience unlike any other.
At the beginning of the film, we find Jeff (Segel), a 30-year old slacker who is trying to figure out his destiny and sees signs from the heavens in the oddest places, is tasked by his mother Sharon (Susan Sarandon) to fix the blinds in the basement where he resides. In the process to get to Home Depot to get the wood glue required, Jeff manages to get mugged, to get in a car wreck, to inadvertently help his brother Pat (Ed Helms) discover his wife Linda (Judy Greer) is cheating on him, and, at the end of it all, find out what everything truly means.
Writer/director team Mark and Jay Duplass ("Baghead", The Puffy Chair") nail it again with another surreal comedy that leaves you in awe. While not as out there as "Puffy Chair" or dark as "Baghead", this movie makes you question everything about not just what's going on in the film, but in your own life as well. The characters and dialogue are completely relatable (let's face it, you know someone like Jeff or Pat), and the situations are so outrageous at times, you don't know whether to laugh or cry, often resulting in a combination of the two.
As great as it was seeing Susan Sarandon in a fairly big movie since 2008's "Speed Racer" (which I'm fairly confident in saying no one either remembers or wants to remember), the film is all about Jason Segel and Ed Helms. Segel plays against type with Jeff, showing a much softer side than we've ever seen him. Segel plays Jeff in a subdued way, bringing out a rich deep performance I never assumed him capable of. Ed Helms plays asshole very well, and his portrayal of Pat is no exception. It's not until the anger and hostility melt away in the third act that made Helms' performance a true treasure.
What makes "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" a wonder to behold is the story. From the opening seen where Jeff is talking about why "Signs" is his favorite movie to every surreal step of his journey to find meaning in his life, the movie takes us along for the ride as we see the world through a hapless dreamer who may know more than he lets on by his goofy exterior. Much like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" takes a journey we never thought possible, and it's amazing to see how it all turns out.
FINAL VERDICT: "Jeff, Who Lives At Home" shows brilliant performances from Jason Segel and Ed Helms while it steals your breath and heart with this tale of finding your destiny in the most unlikely of situations. Though not the typical comedy or drama by any stretch of the imagination, you will be surprised how deep a movie with Jason Segel can be.
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