"Jeff, Who Lives at Home" (Indie Comedy Day: Review One)

Today as my head throbbed with a migraine and Detroit decided for the first time in years to do construction on my street, I decided to put on a movie that I’ve been dying to watch. However, Jeff, Who Lives at Home is not the comedy one might think it would be from the DVD cover and the two lead actors: Jason Segel and Ed Helms.


With this film about two very different brothers, I was originally expecting a more comedic guilty pleasure movie much like Step Brothers. Much to my delight, it is not a comedic guilty pleasure, but rather a heartwarming comedy that really is barely a comedy at all. Think Garden State minus the heavy romance part: these two movies are considered comedies, but they both give us the warm fuzzies and this odd hope that even if we are lost and alone wandering about life zombie-like looking for meaning, that we still have some type of purpose. By the end of this film, every one has found their moment, their zen, even if we as the audience realize that it may not last them. What starts out with a simple trip to the hardware store for wood glues, turns into 83 minutes of following the signs so that Jeff, Pat, and their mother, Sharon, can all be in the right place at the right time.

Personally: I think this is the right time for you to watch this movie. If you need that extra “oomph” in your day or just that reminder that sometimes life can be a be weird or that despite how crazy things may (or may not be) we each have a purpose if we just follow the signs. Very rarely do we come across a film that has a little meaning for every one who might stumble across it.

I highly recommend  Jeff, Who Lives at Home to any one who believes in fate, destiny, and being in the right place at the right time as well as any one who feels lost and wasted, needs a good cry, and who wants a reminder that they have a purpose. Basically, I think you all should watch it... With a box of tissues handy and some one you love close by to hug when it's done.

Soda Pop and Revelations

As I sit here, avoiding writing my ENG 3120 paper and drinking an overly caffeinated beverage, I come upon a revelation.

I believe it is time for me to make an announcement: I intend to break into comedy.

Maybe it's I've been away from performing too long, but I'd like to think I'd do well at it. I've slowly been gathering materials and observations, as well as looking into local classes and doing research. I haven't just been looking into comedy, however. The acting I used to do was the more scripted plays, so I've also started practicing my theater make up, relearning monologues, and working on some new tricks.

I suppose the next few months should bring some wonderful changes as long as I keep up my current determination.