No coincidence: In Jeff, Duplass brothers win at whimsy

Jeff is 30, unmarried, unemployed, and lives in his mother's basement, wreathed in pot fumes. So large and unkempt his brother calls him Sasquatch, he watches the M. Night Shyamalan movie Signs over and over again, convinced it contains the key to the universe. That key, Jeff thinks, is that the universe is filled with meaningful coincidences, and all you must do is remain alert to them, and your destiny will take care of itself. This is probably iron-clad logic if you smoke pot in the basement for long enough.

If Jeff (Jason Segel) is aimless, his brother, Pat (Ed Helms), is stuck in a lifeless marriage and doesn't realize it. His relationship with his wife, Linda (Judy Greer), is limited to registering her presence. While she focuses on saving money for a house, he reveals he's purchased a Porsche because ... well, he got a good price. He takes her out to the deck of their condo to admire it in the driveway, and she startles him by dumping her breakfast on it. The nice breakfast (toasted waffles and Reddi-Wip) he has just prepared for her! Women! What do they want?

Jeff and Pat share a widowed mother, Sharon (Susan Sarandon), who is approaching a birthday and demands that Jeff blast loose from the basement and perform one simple task for her: replacing a kitchen shutter. Nothing can be simple when the universe is filled with signs and coincidences. Thus commences an eventful day for the family. Full Review