Before I watched this film, I've known about Jake Johnson ever since I watched "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (which, by the way, is still a top-tier animated film of 2023 despite its flaws). So, I decided to watch some episodes of 'New Girl' to get an idea of how a comedic actor like Johnson could direct & star in his own film that's described as 'Jacob's Ladder meets Bottle Rocket'. After I've completed my first watch, it's not half bad. For starters, the idea of a man signing up for a deadly game in which the only way you'r safe from danger is to be with others and not be alone is a pretty clever premise for a thriller. Andy Samberg plays as himself who leads Tommy (Jake's character) into a deal in which 2 men offer him $1 million if he succeeds in their dark web reality game. And so, he think's it all one big piece of cake but then the real trouble begins. Now, he has to tell others around him that the situation he's in is not part of his delusion and is, in fact, in danger. Now that I've got the positives drawn out; let's talk about the negatives. The parts revolving around Ellen DeGeneres really didn't sit well with me and the pacing started to drag out by the second half of the film. Also, I don't understand the Bottle Rocket link because there's not a single thing that reminds me of Wes Anderson. Maybe it would've worked if there was some symmetrical shots here and there, but I highly doubt that this film could ever replicate Wes' iconic style. As for the flaws on Across, I didn't like what they did to poor Scarlet Spider. He deserved better because he never once acted like an emo in his original run. Anyways, I'm getting off track. This film is perfectly decent for a comedic thriller, but it would've been a lot better if the pacing was a bit more coherent and the premise being more fleshed out.
Review of Self Reliance
Self Reliance
(2023)
Decent directorial debut from Jake Johnson; would've been a lot better if Dignan showed up and robbed Tommy's house.
11 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers