Written and Directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass
Starring Jason Segal, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Rae Dawn Chong, Steve Zissis
Did you find Cyrus, a film from a year or two ago with John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill—quirky and sentimental? Can you tolerate Jason Segal and Ed Helms in large amounts? Have you had a secret crush on Susan Sarandon since her Bull Durham days? If the answer here is yes, I have a film for you.
Jeff (Segel) lives in his mother’s basement and smokes a lot of dope, which leads to an over-reliance on the messages of the movie SIGNS. His brother, Pat, (Helms) is almost as needy. Although he appears to live in the real world, it is one where an impulse purchase of a Porsche seems entirely doable. His wife, Linda (Greer), saving for a house and kids, sees this as the ultimate betrayal and acts out. Sharon, (Sarandon) needs a love interest even if it turns out to be a woman (Chong). (Nice to see Chong in such a graceful role).
This is a likeable movie. It doesn’t have an overabundance of ideas or hysterical moments, but the ones it has carry you along in an almost buoying fashion. Helms was better as the affable character in Cedar Falls, but the rest of the cast is fine here. There are worse ways to spend ninety minutes—no eighty-three. Mildly recommended.
Patti
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