RBR: Jeff Who Lives at Home

In the opening moments of the film, Jeff (Jason Segal) tells the audience how much he loves the movie Signs and how amazing it is that it's filled with these seemingly random events that all come together with a purpose in the end. This is one of those 'sledgehammer of plot' moves that I can't stand. With such a scene, I now know I'll be sitting for the next hour and a half watching these characters do random things only for all of them to add up to something in the film's climax. And yet, I still couldn't help but enjoy this movie for the most part, primarily because of the winning performances by the film's leads. Jeff is a 30-something guy who still lives in his mom's basement and has no real goals or ambitions. Segal isn't really breaking new ground with this character, but he knows exactly how to play it to make us still like him. Ed Helms plays Jeff's brother and he's married Judy Greer. Their relationship problems drive the film's story and again their talents get you invested in how things will play out for them. Jeff's mom is played by Susan Sarandon. She has an odd subplot involving a secret admirer. Frankly if it had been anyone other than Sarandon in the role, I probably would have suggested that they eliminate that part of the film entirely, but it was nice to see her in a film like this. There's nothing new or fresh offered here, but because of the talents of these great actors, I found myself wanting to hang out with them and see what they were going to do next. I also was moved by the way they had everything come together in the end even if I hated the fact that they told me it would happen in the beginning. If you're looking for a smaller film and you like these actors, there are a lot worse films you could choose to watch instead. Rating: *** 1/2