Dec 17

Dec 17 Allan Watched "Self Reliance"

2020s, Comedy, Thriller

Tremendously silly and creatively tense, Self Reliance takes a unique premise and executes it in a way that could only be done by Jake Johnson.

All Jake Johnson

If you like Nick Miller on New Girl, or any other performance from Jake Johnson (Drinking Buddies being my favorite), you will really enjoy Self Reliance. It is Johnson at his Jake Johnson-iest and the silliness is compounded once you add that it was produced by Lonely Island Classic.

The premise is certainly fresh: Tommy, played by Johnson, is a down on his luck recent divorcee who has nothing much to live for, and accepts the bizarre invitation from Andy Sandburg (playing himself) to join a dark-web gameshow where he must survive random people trying to murder him. If he survives, he gets one million dollars. If he dies, well… he’s dead. The catch? The dark-web hooligans cannot kill him if he is with someone else. So the film is essentially Tommy begging people to believe him and finding new friends to survive with for the 30 days.

Johnson wrote the film during the pandemic lockdown, so it makes sense that it took on a thriller lean and had heavy messaging about needing other people to survive. Tommy is also running away from an invisible enemy and… you get it. A lot of parallels. Overall Johnson does an equally great job as a star, writer, and director, and the end result is a really fun way to spend an hour and a half.

The Funny Allies

Everywhere Tommy turns he is met with amazingly funny family members, new friends, and strangers who will either murder him or save him. His first stop is naturally his family, but his sisters, brother-in-law, and mom are very sure he is making it all up. The great Mary Holland (Golden Arm, Comedy Bang! Bang!) plays Amy, the most vocal of the family, while fellow sister Mary (Emily Hampshire) spends most of her time just laughing at her imperiled brother.

This leads Tommy to find more long-term allies, starting with homeless man James (Bill Wiff) and eventually finding a fellow lonely heart in Maddy (Anna Kendrick). Wiff is a constant joy as Tommy’s new best friend and his affection for Tommy makes you root for him even more. Kendrick and Johnson’s synergy is on full display once again, and if Drinking Buddies and this film aren’t enough for a big film studio to give them a big-time RomCom, I don’t know what it will take.

More Comedy Than Thriller

Where Self Reliance misses is in the “thriller” department. There are certainly tense moments, but the more you focus on the game you get stuck in the holes of the premise. They keep the rules of the game broad enough where it lets them really do whatever they want, but as you navigate Tommy’s adventure for too long, you get a little annoyed at the lack of bite from the action.

Random Thoughts

Edwardo Franco (stoner guy from Stranger Things) is perfectly cast as the “production assistant ninja" that doubles as the deus ex machina. I don’t know what someone who works on a dark-web gameshow would look like, but I buy it from him.
They nailed the playfulness of have Andy Samberg play a version of himself to kickoff the film. His existence in the movie’s world leads to probably the biggest laugh of the film.
There is a point where I am pretty sure Tommy is playing Egyptian Rat Screw, which is easily one of the greatest card games of all time.
I love Emily Hampshire, and this is the first thing I’ve seen her in besides Schitt’s Creek. I am not sure if the idea was for her to be laughing at her brother during every second of screen time, or if every take had her laughing so they just left it in. Even her lines are hardly delivered through giggling. It was a little odd, but it is her, so it works.
Jeff Kober, who is the memorable landlord on New Girl, gets a nice little role in the movie and is great in it.
I won’t spoil it for NBA fans, but if you can avoid the cast list, you are in for a real treat when one of the murderers appears.
There really is not a direct comp for this film. It is Squid Game meets The Truman Show.
Tommy talking to James has big “Nick talking to Tran” vibes.

Quick Hits

How many times have I seen this movie?

First time! I can see me rewatching it soon, though. It is on Hulu, so it is easy to get to.

Where was I watching it?

In my office eating a nice bagel with some coffee.

Favorite trivia about the movie

It is cool that Johnson wrote it during lockdown. I am sure there will be a ton of great films over the next decade that have their roots from the isolation of the pandemic.

Favorite part

All of the scenes where Tommy faces his family about his predicament.

Least favorite part

They wedge in a moment that is suppose to feel really big, with a fairly big actor, and it didn’t work for me. I won’t spoil it, but it felt very forced.