“Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” now available on DVD, kicks off a year of eight movies involving Mark Duplass in some capacity. He also stars on the FX sitcom “The League,” which I’ve never watched but probably should.
On “Jeff,” the indie-film workaholic is the writer-director along with his brother Jay. It’s a sweet character piece with all the indie trappings, including tinkly percussion and an inanimate object that serves as an obtuse-but-kinda-sweet metaphor — in this case, a plank from a pantry door that has come loose. The movie would probably be easy to make fun of for someone in a cynical mood. (Heck, cynics pick on “Garden State,” which I think is the most beautiful little film ever made.)
But I liked it. The Duplass brothers’ solid — if not groundbreaking — script is brought to life by a great cast of folks starting to be known for character work like this. Jason Segel is the parents’-basement-dwelling stoner of the title who is obsessed with the M. Night Shyamalan movie “Signs.” His opening monologue where he outlines why the movie is great made me love the character (only in part because I think “Signs” is underrated). And the fact that the wood-paneled house looks like it’s stuck in the ’70s serves as a nice metaphor for Jeff’s stalled life.
Segel plays Jeff like all of his characters, just ever-so-slightly more slow and innocent. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised to see Jeff wearing green sweatpants or eating cereal from a salad bowl or have someone walk in on him while naked, but I suppose the film didn’t want to be too redundant.
“The Office’s” Ed Helms, as Jeff’s brother Pat, actually does a nice job of playing against type as a jerk who thinks everything that’s good for him is good for his marriage. Judy Greer is, as always, awesome as Pat’s put-upon wife. There’s also a subplot with Jeff and Pat’s mom, played by Susan Sarandon, who has a secret admirer at work; it’s not the best arc in the movie, but I did take some pleasure in correctly guessing how it would turn out.
Like most indie character dramas, “Jeff” dwells a bit on that universal question of “What’s the point of it all,” and nicely illustrates that a person can be miserable as a failure or as a success. The film isn’t too manipulative, considering it’s about a guy who looks for “signs” in everyday life, and it’s not remotely political. It’s about normal human beings, but it throws in the lightest dash of indie charm and mysticism.