Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Jeff (Jason Segel) is a thirty year old man with a puncheon for the film Signs and lives in his mother Sharon’s (Susan Sarandon) basement. His older brother Pat (Ed Helms) still lives close by with his wife Linda (Judy Greer). He and Linda are in the midst of serious marital problems. One day while she is at work, Sharon asks Jeff to go to the shop to pick up some wood glue. Convinced that the name Kevin is some sort of sign he ill advisedly follows various Kevins’ around the city bumping into his brother along the way.

To me the film was like a cross between a Wes Anderson film and The Office. It has the odd, quirky indie charm of an Anderson picture but the awkward humour and filming style of The Office. Unfortunately it was neither as good as any Wes Anderson film I’ve seen nor The Office. At times it was quite funny but these moments were usually fleeting and there weren’t many of them. The story was reasonably interesting and the film had a sweet ending but it just didn’t mesh together. The whole ‘the Universe will show me the way’ nonsense was really annoying and although the ending was very sweet, it was obvious and annoyed me.

The Descendants

George Clooney stars as the father of two children who has to cope when his wife goes into a coma after a water sports accident. He has the added burden of an important decision regarding his ancestor’s estate and discovers that his wife was engaged in an affair before her accident.

Filmed and set in Hawaii, the film looks beautiful. That sounds like an easy task considering where it is set, but a lot of the film is set in the built up areas of the archipelago which are rarely seen in films. Not everything is pristine which is nice to see. There are leaves on the driveway and cracks in the walls. When we do see the natural beauty of Hawaii, it is with good reason and not over done. This isn’t a film about Hawaii’s beauty but about a families struggle while living in it.

Family trouble

The story is interesting but unfortunately as so often is the case, too much of it was given away in the trailer. There were very few surprises and generally you already knew where it was heading. The dialogue is witty though which helps with the lack of suspense.  

George Clooney is very good and probably deserves the nominations and awards he has received for his performance. The rest of the cast are also admirable. Clooney’s daughters, played by Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller are both excellent as a rebellious teen and inappropriate ten year old respectively. Woodley’s boyfriend, played by Nick Krause, while remaining annoying throughout, becomes more likable as the film progresses.

I find it difficult to talk about what I liked about the film. The ending was excellent and quite sad but I found myself bored at times and it is far from perfect.

7/10