Have you met Jeff? He’s an adult who lives in the basement of his mother’s house. No job. No wife. No kids. The only thing keeping him company while his mom’s at work is his marijuana.
Tonight, MFlix hosted a sneak peak presentation of the upcoming film Jeff, Who Lives at Home in the Nat Sci auditorium. I actually really enjoyed the film. It’s an independent comedy with a pretty fantastic cast: Jason Siegel as the main character Jeff, and also Ed Helms and Susan Sarandon. The story revolves around Siegel’s character, Jeff, who is looking for “signs” that connect his life and the universe together. What begins with a man calling Jeff asking for someone named Kevin turns into a wild goose chase, helping Jeff’s brother, Pat (Helms) to hold his marriage in one piece. Meanwhile, Sarandon’s character, Jeff and Pat’s mom, tries to figure out her “secret admirer” in the office. The stories bend, twist, and collide, leaving the audience laughing, teary eyed, and a little…confused. All and all, I think it worked.
What I really enjoyed most about the film was the whole idea of how life is really unpredictable – who’s to say that everything in the world isn’t somehow connected? Maybe if we too took the time to follow every thread of our lives, every hunch that we had, we would all end up colliding in the same space and time. I was recently introduced to the modern art movement called Fluxus which insists that “anything can be art and anyone can do it.” While this film isn’t entirely related to that idea, Jeff comes up with multiple theories on life, and is repeatedly mocked by his older brother, Pat, for trying to be philosophical when he’s just a “pothead.” In the end, not to give too much away but Jeff isn’t that far off from reality. I was instantly reminded of Fluxus because just as everyone can do art, everyone can have deep, philosophical theories, in a sense. Sure, some may be dumb, but life is sort of chaotic anyway, so why not follow your gut?
It is quite possible that one man – a man with a home, wife, job, and car – may not necessarily have better ideas than a man who, well, lives at home.
The movie comes out in theaters this Friday, and I’d personally recommend going to see it. I’d give it 7 out of 10.
