Poor M. Night Shyamalan - his iconic twist ending from THE SIX SENSE was already outed in an Adam Sandler film, and now his SIGNS finale is detailed right off the bat by Jason Segel as Jeff, a pot-smoking underachiever who... that's right... lives at home. But surprisingly enough this titular aspect has little to do with the story.Feeling everything in the universe is connected, and after dialing a "significant" wrong number, Jeff ventures on an errand but finds himself involved in the personal life of his shallow brother Pat, played by Ed Helms, who has a brand new Porsche and a possibly cheating wife (Judy Greer, the cheated-on in THE DESCENDANTS). Investigating the tryst, both brothers tail Pat's wife and her guy friend to a restaurant and motel. These scenes provide funny and suspenseful moments between two characters that couldn't be more different.On the peripheral, Susan Sarandon, as their office-working single mother, receives a string of secret admirer instant messages on her computer. Then, out of nowhere, both stories hit a sappy life-affirming wall. And yet, despite a cop-out conclusion, this indie film, like the main protagonist, has a scruffy heart in the right place. It's just too bad the characters didn't remain in the dark for longer.

We often go through our ordinary lives without truly living and making a difference. It's up to charming indie films like "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" to inspire us. Independent films often touch something true and deep, that many mainstream blockbusters don't come close to. The Duplass brothers are indie kings. They're kind enough to cast Jason Segal, Ed helms, and Susan Sarandon in a film that costs virtually nothing. Jason Segal gives one of his between roles as Jeff, a low- life underachiever who lives in his mother's basement. off on an errand, he spends the afternoon with his miserable brother Pat (Ed Helms) as they track down his wife who they are convinced is having an affair. With only 83 minutes of screen-time, The Duplass brothers pack in hilarious dry humor and touching family scenes that go beyond what may seem expected. The whole central idea these boys try and touch is how there is always destiny in life. Jeff and Pat couldn't have been more likable and refreshing characters to enjoy. We get tons of development from them, and tackle their journey with them. Ed Helms and Jason Segal work brilliantly together. They change the feeling of the film in seconds. It's surprising how hard you can laugh before crying your eyes out due to beautiful brotherly contact. Veteran actress Susan Sarandon is superb as always. We're gifted to have her play the brothers mom, who we learn is having her own crisis after the death of her husband. "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" does get a little pretentious and overdone towards the end, but it's a real audience pleaser that tries to tell an impactful story in the most meaningful way without missing its feel-good effect. Remember, it's a comedy, meaning we do get a lot of mischief between the boys, which may frustrate some viewers. I couldn't have liked it more. This is the pleaser that makes you stand up and cheer if you'r lucky enough to hear about it.

Jeff (Jason Segel) is 30 and living in his mother Sharon (Susan Sarandon)'s basement. He's aimless and unemployed. His favorite movie is 'Signs', and he's looking for signs for a direction in his life. He answers an angry phone call from someone looking for Kevin. When he sees someone in a jersey with Kevin on the back, he follows him around. Meanwhile, Jeff's brother Pat (Ed Helms) is a bad salesman and he angers his wife Linda (Judy Greer) by buying a Porsche. Sharon has a secret admirer at work.It's a Duplass brothers movie. They do these whimsical indie movies. These characters are not particularly likable to me. Jeff is weirdly fixated on Kevins. Pat is way too angry to like. Ed Helms plays such an annoying character. It's hard to get into the brothers' relationship. If he could play anger without being a douche, I might find some humor in this. I don't find anything about them funny. That's the threshold that I need to cross for this movie. It's just not funny to me. The ending wraps things up nicely but it's a long unfunny road getting there.

Jeff's a whacky, outside-the-box kind of guy, a devotee of M. Night Shyamalan who's been looking for a Sign in some of the wrong places. He's also a type beloved of indie screenwriters, of course, and the Duplass brothers have come up with an awesome 45 minutes or so of screwball comedy, preceded by a leisurely buildup and followed by a listless feelgood ending, for a total running time of 83 minutes. Good work by Jason Segel and Ed Helms (not exactly playing against type as Jeff's selfish asshole brother), Judy Greer (she's great but does she ever not play the wronged, put-upon wife?) and Susan Sarandon; haven't seen much of Rae Dawn Chong since she was a nubile cavegirl back in the day. Didn't expect they'd all be living somewhere outside New Orleans, presumably for tax purposes. The good stuff is really good, but I was disappointed the bros couldn't go the distance. PS—a cynical reviewer on Netflix suggests that an obscure indie film like this couldn't have prompted so many online reviews unless they were being churned out by "a small group of poorly paid people," to which I say: if only!