Self Reliance
There is no shortage of comedies about immature man-boys learning to grow up. Self Reliance devises a unique premise to explore that idea. Jake Johnson, who also wrote and directed, plays Tommy, a guy who lives with his mom and is still reeling from a breakup with the longtime girlfriend (Natalie Morales) who got tired of his repetitive antics. He now moves through life like a zombie, feeling lonely, bored, and unstimulated.
A chance at excitement presents itself when a limo pulls up beside him on the street. Andy Samberg (amusingly playing a skewed version of himself) is inside with an intriguing offer for Tommy. There’s a new dark web reality show. He’s been selected as the target for a group of killers. If he can last 30 days without getting killed, he wins millions. Tommy spots a loophole. They can’t kill him as long as he’s with someone else. This means an easy payday, provided he’s never by himself.
Self Reliance finds humor in the awkwardness of the situation. Can you imagine not having a single minute to yourself for a whole month? Bathroom issues alone would be a challenge. So would sleeping issues. One of the story’s funniest elements is that Tommy’s mother and sisters don’t believe him about the show, so he has to hire a homeless man to be his constant companion. Johnson goes for the easy laugh at first, then turns the impromptu duo’s interactions into something surprisingly sweet.
Is there a Manic Pixie Dream Girl in here? Of course there is. She’s Maddy (Anna Kendrick), another contestant on the show. Tommy teams up with her so both can theoretically be safe. You might think you know where things are heading between them, but one of the surprises of the film is that it sets up the MPDG cliché in order to subvert it. Kendrick and Johnson, who previously starred together in Drinking Buddies, have a warm chemistry that brings their shared section of the movie alive.
The arc here is familiar. Tommy grows from his newly cemented connections. Despite an obvious end point – and, for that matter, a few overly broad moments in the third act - Self Reliance is filled with sharp dialogue and pleasing bits of wackiness. Best of all, the film makes a nice point about how our self-growth is directly proportional to the degree to which we let others in.
out of four
Self Reliance is rated R for language throughout. The running time is 1 hour and 25 minutes.
