Jeff Who Lives at Home
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: March 16, 2012
6.5
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 82 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
46
Mixed:
30
Negative:
6
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User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
RadasJun 15, 2012
Enjoyable movie.
A surprise.
From the trailer i saw looked like a generic comedy but it turn out to be a good drama.
A journey of a man that after losing his dad and inspired by a movie tries to find his destiny
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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5
MarcDoyleMar 16, 2012
Jeff satisfies my personal definition of an average movie almost perfectly. It's genial enough, but painfully slow out of the gates. Segel has some funny moments, Sarandon is excellent in her touching role, but there's just not much too thisJeff satisfies my personal definition of an average movie almost perfectly. It's genial enough, but painfully slow out of the gates. Segel has some funny moments, Sarandon is excellent in her touching role, but there's just not much too this sucker. You can see right through it. The ending is dramatic, but it feels completely tacked on. Ed Helms and Jason Segel have done vastly superior movies.… Expand
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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6
FDT44Mar 16, 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,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.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
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4
seancriswellJan 4, 2013
This movie means well with the message it is putting forth, but unfortunately never rings true. I enjoy Helms and Segel both as actors but here they are given characters that have little to no nuance. Add to that the fact that the story isThis movie means well with the message it is putting forth, but unfortunately never rings true. I enjoy Helms and Segel both as actors but here they are given characters that have little to no nuance. Add to that the fact that the story is very contrived and you have a film that id very hard to connect with.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
JTKelleyAug 10, 2012
Everything here is done with the utmost subtlety and comes full circle in this comedy with heart. However, a dragging pace and a ludicrous, unsatisfying ending serve as reminders that the Brothers Duplass can do better.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
iCronicJul 12, 2014
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nice Little movie, nothing Special tho. i like segel and helms. if you getting into this movie its good. the end is a bit arbitrarily… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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4
CameraBounceGodFeb 27, 2015
not what my imagination would want the movie to actually be.....but still a pot head thinking everything is connected and his older brother crashing his car is pretty funny on its own...other than that don't go thinking its anot what my imagination would want the movie to actually be.....but still a pot head thinking everything is connected and his older brother crashing his car is pretty funny on its own...other than that don't go thinking its a comedy...actually just don't go on this one...you will find yourself wondering as to weather or not Segal's character types and the little girls have any sort of place in this world especially without saving or giving purpose to one another .....-JRA… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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5
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is very much a slow moving, rather sentimental movie - one which seems to have a real lack of direction to start with but is quite touching as well. There's quite a heavy use of muzack I suppose you'd call it, background instrumental tunes, which highlight moments when its quite light hearted as well as more tense moments. Its a bit meandering, as the plot slowly develops we seem to go from one storyline, or sub story (such as his mothers apparent secret admirer at work) to another and it may seem a bit boring to those who are easily distracted or bored by rather slow, understated movies I imagine, although to be honest I quite enjoyed it as I felt I could relate to the main character in some respects. I liked the idea that Jeff was having a sort of typical, mundane day, seeming a rather run-of-the-mill, probably overweight, rather unremarkable guy who is regarded as a bit of a nuisance and otherwise overlooked but yet he was (in his head) contemplating rather deep concepts - those of destiny and identity and in his mind, he felt he was waiting for his 'calling'.

I should say that drug taking plays a part in this movie, as Jeff smokes weed and that could well play a part in him seeming to look for, or claim to have found, symbolic signs that supposedly guide him in his quest to find out - well, whatever it is he's supposed to be doing. Some of these supposed signs are quite a bit tenuous and unsurprisingly enough, he can seem a bit childlike and naive in this regard but people may be less keen on it, due to the drug angle. Its hinted at that his mother is aware of his drug taking but presumably turns a blind eye to it, as she doesn't rush home to stop him when he warns that she probably won't like it if he admitted what he'd been doing, while on the phone to her.

Its understandable that he feels rather directionless, given he's unemployed, hasn't been in a relationship, lives at home and all the rest of it, though he doesn't spend the whole movie feeling sorry for himself - he comes across as more of an observer, a thinker. I liked that although drugs play a part in the movie and Jeff would fit the criteria for it, this really isn't a sort of basic stoner teen comedy movie, with no real 'gross out' moments, although its hard to categorise it. On Ciao and IMDB its categorised as a drama but I wouldn't say its especially dramatic, although there is perhaps a small element of it but its not a really fast, exciting movie - its more a sentimental movie, if thats even a genre? I'm not sure. Its watchable enough, although after having seen it once, I can't really picture me watching it again.

The camerawork is rather shaky, I'd imagine deliberately so, giving it more of a slightly budget documentary feel to it, which won't suit everyone. Its not too nauseating but was noticeable enough to, well, notice and mention it, obviously. Just to clarify, it may be said to have a slight documentary feel to it but Jeff himself doesn't speak to the camera or address the audience, yet we get a good glimpse of (or an insight into) his thoughts.

This movie reminded me of movies such as Napoleon Dynamite and as such, maybe even Little Miss Sunshine which I really enjoyed, so I suppose it does have an underdog element to it. I liked the messages it contained, encouraging people to do what their instinct tells them, to make the most of life and so on, pretty positive stuff, although right at the end I couldn't help but feel that it became a bit too coincidental and even a bit too cheesy or corny, as much as I suppose I was expecting that by then. Some will no doubt be quite keen and even re-assured it and others might be less keen but I thought it was a pretty watchable, um, watch or film regardless. This didn't strike me as an especially memorable film overall, I think perhaps if the script had been tweaked a bit, it could have been better - it has potential and I like elements of it but its certainly not by any means perfect, more good-ish?.

I thought it was a decent enough watch but would I outright suggest purchasing this film in particular? no.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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