Jeff, Who Lives At Home

I love a good indie film. In fact, I respect indie films a whole lot more than big budget studio films. In recent years, Jay and Mark Duplass have emerged as big players in the independent film scene. While I find most of their films quite good, they have created a gem in 'Jeff, Who Lives At Home'. Jason Segel stars as Jeff, a 30-year old man who living in his mother's basement. Jeff is trying to find his destiny. Jeff's inspiration in life is M. Night Shyamalan's film, 'Signs'. After receiving a phone call which was meant for someone else named Kevin, Jeff is led on a journey which will not only impact his own life, it will impact the lives of those who surround him. On the other hand, Jeff's brother Pat (Ed Helms) believes his wife (Judy Greer) is cheating on him. When it comes to Jeff, Pat believes he is nothing but a slacker with no aspirations. As the film goes on, Pat begins to confide in Jeff because of how miserable his own life has become. Meanwhile, Jeff and Pat's Mom (Susan Sarandon) is quite unhappy as well because of her inability to motivate Jeff and her constant arguing with Pat. She also has a huge void in her life because of her lack of a significant other. While at work, she receives an instant message from a secret admirer. This constant game of cat-and-mouse throughout the film leads to a reveal that I personally found a little predictable. Maybe I just watch too many movies! At the film's finale, all of the main characters are stuck in a traffic jam which leads to a string of events that ultimately bring fulfillment to the lives of Jeff's relatives and to his life as well. Jason Segel is endearing as Jeff, and the rest of the cast is fantastic in a film that shows that everything in life happens for a reason. It is such a pleasure to see a film in this day and age that doesn't rely on bells and whistles to attract an audience. Highly recommended.

Gone

There are many questions one should ask themselves while they're watching 'Gone'. The main one should be, 'What was Amanda Seyfried thinking?!' 'Gone' is a complete mess from start to finish. Amanda Seyfried stars as Jill, a girl who we learn was kidnapped in the past and suffers from severe anxiety in her everyday life. Jill lives with her sister Molly, a Grade A student and a perfectly happy individual. When Molly leaves to go to work one night, she returns to find that her sister is gone without a trace. Jill is immediately convinced that her kidnapper is the one who took her sister, and this leads Jill on a road filled with ridiculous plot holes. Jill goes to the cops, they immediately shun her. Some police department. One detective seems shady (red herring), and the other refuses to help Jill because he knows of her past. The one female officer in the film looks like she just rolled out of bed and went to work. Detective Powers, played by Daniel Sunjata, keeps trying to tell Jill that there is no killer because when she escaped her kidnapper, he was never found. Jill was also committed to a mental facility after her ordeal because they all thought she was crazy. I won't spoil the movie for those who really want to watch this dreck, but the ending is so awful and nonsensical that it renders the movie pointless. It makes you think to yourself, 'I wasted over 90 minutes of my life for a damn PLOT HOLE?!' I personally think Amanda Seyfried is a really good actress. I liked her in 'Chloe' and really look forward to seeing her Cosette in 'Les Miserables' this Christmas. This was a major misstep for her, but I have full belief that this movie will be tossed aside and quickly forgotten. The supporting cast overacts their way through the film, and Jennifer Carpenter (Debra from 'Dexter') is criminally underused. I won't go into a critique of the direction by Heitor Dhalia because the film is so convoluted and disjointed. Overall, I can't recommend this film in anyway, and it should have gone straight to Lifetime or VOD. The film's box office gross says it all.

Take This Waltz

KILL ME NOW. No, seriously, do it. I don't think I have watched a movie this repulsive in quite a while. 'Take This Waltz' is a story about an unhappy marriage between Lou and Margot Rubin played by Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams. Margot writes travel brochures, Lou is writing a cookbook revolving around chicken. The couple seems to be in love. While traveling back from one of her expeditions, Margot meets a man named Daniel. Daniel is mysterious, Daniel is irritating. Daniel turns out to be everything Margot looks for in a man. He also happens to live across the street from her house and drives a rickshaw. And thus, the love triangle commences. What follows is a series of scenes in which we see Lou and Margot's marriage falling apart due to her weird and indifferent personality around Lou. We also see Margot meet with Daniel at a cafe in which he proceeds to discuss what he wants to do to Margot sexually which was incredibly cringe-worthy. Sarah Silverman, who gives some life to the film, plays Margot's sister Geraldine. She is only featured in a few scenes, one being a pretty horrifying and unnecessary nude scene in a gym shower. Following the wonderful 2006 movie 'Away from Her', Director Sarah Polley has taken a step down with this film. Bottom line, the film is boring, pretentious, and filled with unlikeable characters. Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams, and Sarah Silverman are MUCH better than this film.

Bel Ami

For those who are not familiar with the 1885 novel "Bel Ami" by Guy de Maupassant, here's a brief synopsis. The main focus of the story is Georges Duroy, a man who has left the military after serving three years in Algeria. After working as a clerk in Paris, Duroy meets a former comrade named Forestier who helps him to become a journalist. Long story short, Georges Duroy embarks on a journey of corruption in which he seduces and manipulates three wealthy mistresses in order to become one of the most powerful men in Paris. Robert Pattinson of 'Twilight' fame plays the role of Georges Duroy. While I despise the 'Twilight' films, I do think that he has plenty of potential as an actor. I actually liked him in the 2009 film 'Remember Me' which caused quite a stir because of its controversial twist ending. Unfortunately, I think he was a poor choice for the role of Georges Duroy. It has absolutely nothing to do with his 'Twilight' roots, it has to do with the fact that I can see almost any other high-profile actor playing this role. Pattinson seduces three mistresses in the film, and his performance stays one-note throughout the movie. If I watch an actor in a film and all I can think of is another actor in his position, that's a horrible sign. On the other hand, Christina Ricci gives a fine performance as Clotilde de Marelle. In fact, she is the only character in the film that the audience can really connect with on an emotional level. Uma Thurman and Kristen Scott Thomas' performances as the two other mistresses border on campy. More so with Thomas, who later on in the film, serves as comic relief. Director Declan Donnellan does a serviceable job in the director's chair. The film moves at a brisk pace despite some scenes that begin to drag. For all of the hoopla about how the racy the movie was supposed to be, there is nothing all that erotic about the film. In fact, the scene in which Thurman and Pattinson have sex is quite painful to watch. All in all, the film is mediocre at best. Pattinson is miscast, and the rest of the cast does the best they can with the material. I'm not surprised the distributors decided to send the film straight to VOD. Like I said earlier in the review, Pattinson does have potential, and I do look forward to seeing his performance in David Cronenberg's new film 'Cosmopolis'.

Hey Everyone!

For those who know me and those who don't, my name is Robby Lerman and I am a HUGE movie buff. When I was a little kid, I would visit the video store across the street from my building and rent as many movies as I could. I would study every genre. Comedy, Drama, Horror, Romance, I had no specific preference. It was at the age of seven that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to be an actor. When I was eight years old, I began studying at the Lee Strasberg Institute in NY.  When I was 15, I left the institute and put acting on the back burner.

After graduating college, the acting bug bit me again, and I am now a freelance actor waiting for my big break! Since my other love is critiquing movies, I decided to start this blog and share my thoughts on recent films I've seen as well as some of my personal favorites. Well, I think I've said just about enough! Enjoy my brief, but insightful movie reviews!