jeff-who-lives-at-homeOne In Every Family.

 
Stars; Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon and Rae Dawn Chong
Directors/Scriptwriters: Jay and Mark Duplass
Paramount Vantage
Rating: R for themed material and language
Running Length: 85 minutes
 
I kept watching Jason Segel throughout this warm, adult comedy when the camera was on someone else, but Segel was still in the frame. Could he keep the same benign, slightly sad expression throughout the film? He can and that is part of what makes Jeff, Who Lives At Home a film to remember. There is such a person in every family, I think. Someone who hasn't quite grown up, lives at home (here, in the basement) is larger than the usual guy and the butt of jokes. However, this  person is a good listener and comes up with the answer to your situation.
 
Jeff (Segel) wears longer walking shorts, a long T-shirt, two day growth of beard, needs a haircut and stays with widowed Mom (a lovely Susan Sarandon). He expects people to tease him. Brother, Ed Helms, is married to Judy Greer and thinks the marriage is going fine. It isn't and she is thinking of divorce. Mom hasn't quite been the same since Dad died. She is lonely. Life has handed the family quite a blow. When someone sends her e-mail messages at work, she is intrigued and shares all with best friend, Rae Dawn Chong. All  of this starts to come together, when Ed blows the bank account on a present for himself---a new Porsche. The wife is furious and proceeds to spray catsup on the car. The voyage of the Porsche through life is really the story here, as Ed takes Jeff for a ride and they proceed to get into many adventures after they find the wife having lunch with (gasp) another man. Along with this, Jeff believes that every day sends a message and on that particular day, it was to follow the name “Kevin.”  Everyone ends up on a bridge and that’s all I'm going to say. The film was made in Shreveport and has good ocean views.
 
Love is always there. It never goes away, even if you are over six feet tall and can't quite express yourself, or you and your wife are throwing things or there is a mysterious admirer in your office. People handle grief in different ways, too. Jay and Mark Duplass, co-directors and scriptwriters, must know about sibling rivalry and grief because they express it well in this script. They are people who could be next-door neighbors and you see them everyday without know what is really going on in their lives. Jeff is content just to be and though the word “lazy” certainly comes to mind, Jeff has a purpose in this family. He is holding it together.
 
3nhalf
 
Copyright 2012 Marie Asner