There are those movies out there with great actors, an awesome plot, and brilliant execution, but for whatever reason they just come and go without so much as a blip on most people’s radar. My friend called them ‘hidden gems’ and I like the idea that these excellent movies are just out there to be found by those who make an effort to look.
In life occasionally the coincidences can feel meaningful, and there are time when we refuse to accept them as coincidences and read into them a bit more than perhaps is warranted in the eyes of other people. A lot of the time this is harmless, but what I love about this movie is how it presents the ways in which this way of thinking can become an obsession, but it can also steer you in decidedly unusual directions.
Jason Segal brings despondency and a contradictory sanguine characteristic to Jeff that leaves the character feeling unique. Ed Helms’ Pat is a difficult guy to grasp despite his apparent shallow nature. Very little work is done in bringing these characters to life and give them a satisfying and revealing back story and yet. The details are there, but they’re offered up to you as opposed to shoved in you face. Despite the lack of flashbacks or forced dialogue, you finish watching with a sense of who these people were.
The Mum of these two individuals, Sharon, has her own mostly separate story, but it interweaves with Jeff and Pat’s journey in some ways. If anything the only problem I had with the movie was the disparity between these two plots, but upon reflection it was simply a side story which managed to be enjoyable in it’s own right.
The truth is that there are a hell of a lot of films out there which you would probably really enjoy but will either never get around to or never know about. All that I am saying is that if you find yourself looking for one of those films, I think you’ll be very happy with Jeff, Who Lives At Home.