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.