Review of Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012) by Fdt44 — 16 Mar 2012

The ultra-talented, Indie darlings, the Duplass brothers ("Badhead," "The Puffy Chair," and "Cyrus") have here what might finally catapult them unto the mainstream scene. In their largest scale film yet, casting big names as Siegel, Helms, Sarandon, and Greer, the brothers create an easy-going, low-key, mumblecore that maintains a naturalistic tone and genuine palatability that doesn't set the viewer's expectations too high or too low; it beats a drum that is methodically modulated and internally contemplative, while possessing a poignant resonance that is more subtle than one might expect.

What holds it back, is a beginning that meanders a bit too long, at times irksome, low-fi sound quality, and a message that promotes helplessness in adulthood; the film could benefit from more ardor and drive, both literally and figuratively.

However, with the omni-present sense of delight that hangs over this little joy, combined with Seigel's lost, yet optimistic eyes contrasted with his blunderous, man-child mannerisms, Greer's adroit tears, and Sarandon's maternal elegance, "Jeff Who Lives at Home" captures the dysfunctionalities of everyday life and family, and presents it in a way that is neither brazen nor tawdry; its clean, purely funny, unadultered cinema.