Jeff, Who Lives at Home - Duplass Brothers find life’s cosmic connections

Like its slacker hero, offbeat comedy Jeff, Who Lives at Home by brothers Jay and Mark Duplass is shambling, easygoing and slow to get going.

Jason Segal’s Jeff is a 30-year-old unemployed pothead who still lives in his mother’s basement and finds it hard to complete the most basic task. Running an errand for his widowed mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon), he gets distracted by a series of chance encounters with members of his family, including uptight brother Pat (Ed Helms) and Pat’s estranged wife, Linda (Judy Geer). Meanwhile, Sharon discovers she has a secret admirer.

As the coincidences mount up, Jeff’s addled belief in cosmic connections gets surprising vindication. It’s all very low-key, but if you don’t mind the film’s zany meanderings then Segal’s sweet-natured Jeff is an amiable companion to have.

Released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on Monday 17th September.

A film critic for over 25 years, Jason admits the job can occasionally be glamorous – sitting on a film festival jury in Portugal; hanging out with Baz Luhrmann at the Chateau Marmont; chatting with Sigourney Weaver about The Archers – but he mostly spends his time in darkened rooms watching films. He’s also written theatre and opera reviews, two guide books on Rome, and competed in a race for Yachting World, whose great wheeze it was to send a seasick film critic to write about his time on the ocean waves. But Jason is happiest on dry land with a classic screwball comedy or Hitchcock thriller.