Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Directed by: Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass
Written by: Mark Duplass & Jay Duplass (screenplay)
Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer
Home is not a place. It is a state of mind; that feeling of comfort, security and belonging. For many, clinging to an idea of home is one of the driving forces of their day-to-day lives. In Jeff, Who Lives at Home, the Duplass Brothers examine this notion with a light touch and a heavy injection of fate.
If home occupies the film’s title, destiny is its true focus. The three main characters- brothers Jeff (Jason Segel) and Pat (Ed Helms) and their mother Sharon (Susan Sarandon)- are all clumsily shoved into each other with narrative push. This would be completely amateurish if it weren’t for the focus on fate at the movie’s core. The movie takes Jeff’s point of view even when he’s not there, pushing his bizarre world view into a reality that isn’t quite made for it.