An indie comedy film directed and written by brothers Mark and Jay Duplass, "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" follows the journey of Jeff (Jason Segel), a depressed but good natured 30-year-old slacker who spends most of his time smoking weed, only venturing outside his room in his parent's house to search for wood glue. Along the way, he encounters a series of comedic and unexpected events including meeting his older brother Pat (Ed Helms), who, angry and wound up, tries to cope with a failing marriage and his wife's possible infidelity. Meanwhile, their mother Sharon (Susan Sarandon) plays the role of a woman who never truly put her life back together after her husband died 17 years ago and must deal with the feeling that most of her life has passed without much adventure. Katie Tai
Directed by: Jay and Mark DuplassWith: Segel, Helms, Sarandon83 minutesRated R
Maybe this just isn't my kind of film, but I was not impressed. The plot wanders aimlessly, and the dialogue feels unscripted, creating an indecisive plot. And while I liked Segel in his other films, I thought his normal comedic routine felt old and tired.
Sydney Ayers
A serious and introspective drama punctuated with several laugh out loud moments, the film is the bittersweet tale of two men who are lost in their lives. Segel and Helms have a wonderful chemistry that only serves to accentuate their performances, which are a far cry from the usual bufoons these two play. Sarandon's storyline seems superfluous and tacked on to increase the film's already short runtime. Varun Bhuchar
As if to make up for the unoriginality of the plot, involving a widow going through a midlife crisis and her son whose wife is having an affair, the film is driven by Jeff, who sees mystic "signs." Jeff's thick-but-deeper-than-you-think character is unconvincing at times, as is the quick-fix resolution to the film, but the music added a lightness and simplicity that brought out the comic aspects. Carla Yoon
