Review of The Puffy Chair (2006) by Christopher C — 23 Oct 2011

I don't know what it is about Mark Duplass, but it seems like his personality was made for these kind of Mublecore films. It's hilarious and they throw us right in the middle of these characters and their problems, but strangely enough we know them well by the end.

The Puffy Chair is interesting because they are going through more problems than we realize and they all seem to come out in the end (thanks to Rhett). Josh wants to go on a road trip to pick up a maroon velvet recliner that his father used to love and then drive to Atlanta and give it to him on his birthday.

This was originally a trip for one person, but he decides to take his girlfriend Emily with him after she blows up on him the night before he leaves. The way he asks is perfect; Emily: What are you doing? Josh (holding a boombox playing Transatlantacism): You have my Peter Gabriel CD.

What's great is that no one is at fault in this film. Josh's brother Rhett comes along and we know from the start he's the brother who's lost. There is no furniture in his house and he's making videos of insects, but barely moves the camera.

Rhett seems to have all of these romanticized ideas and Emily finds them endearing, but Josh slams them right away. These three characters together make the film interesting. They work together in a way that makes them come out of their shells little by little.

It's really funny when Rhett runs off with Amber at the theater and then what Josh and Emily discover later that night. My biggest complaint about the film is the camerawork. Obviously it's meant to look amateurish to make the audience feel like they are watching a home video.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Jay Duplass just grabbed one of his friends who never used a camera before and asked them to shoot it. It's a great idea on paper, but watching it was pretty painful at times.

I was tired of it going out of focus so much that it started pulling me out of the movie. Other than that, The Puffy Chair surprised me with how engaged I was in the characters.