A movie like Self Reliance only works if the protagonist is both likeable and little bit detestable. I think of Griffin Dunne in Martine Scorsese’s After Hours in which he plays what we think is a hopeless romantic but is actually quite an arrogant selfish person. Even though he’s put through the ringer, you kinda feel he deserves it.
And that’s the case with Tommy (Jake Johnson) who is still depressed following the break-up of his last girlfriend, Theresa (Natalie Morales), after they have been together for many years. He lives a disillusioned life and one day, a limo pulls up next to him and Andy Samberg is in it with a proposal. Tommy is taken to an abandoned warehouse factory area where a Danish production company offers him a proposition. They operate a reality TV show on the dark web in which any contestant can survive 30 days while being tracked by hired killers, they will receive $1 million.
But there’s a loophole that interests Tommy. To avoid any innocent bystanders, the contestants can’t be killed unless they are alone. After discussing it some, Tommy agrees to be a contestant feeling he can be around someone 24/7. However, his family doesn’t believe him when he tells them. They all think he’s having a mental breakdown from the break-up.
However, when he thinks he sees an assassin, he can’t get anyone to believe him. At the same time, he believes he’s being tracked by production assistants who are very good at being inconspicuous. On Craigslist, he finds Maddy (Anna Kendricks) who claims to be another contestant. But can he trust her?
Johnson, wrote, directed and co-produced this movie. It has some good moments and clever casting by Jeff Kober, who appears as a mysterious cowboy. If you know Kober’s resume, it’s a good move since he often plays antagonistic characters. There’s also a nice small role by Miriam Flynn as Maddy’s cheery mother. There’s also some other nice cameos that I won’t mention.
However, the problem here is that the movie sets up a good premise but never really hits the mark the way it should. This could be because Johnson is limited by a small budget or just too afraid to take the movie down the real dark humor path it could go. A scene between Tommy and his brother-in-law, Malcolm (Daryl J. Johnson), as he tries to go to the bathroom is hilarious and both Johnsons have a great time pulling the scene off. And then there’s Eduardo Franco as the P.A. Ninja who seems to pop up when Tommy least expects to give him directions on how the producers want the show to go. I also like how the rest of the production assistants seem to be hiding in plain sight.
However, the movie falls apart short in its final act. Johnson conceived the idea years ago and wrote the script during Covid-19. Production lasted only 19 days. And you get the sense everyone on the set had a great time. But for a movie that’s called Self Reliance, the script and even the production needed a little help to touch up the rough edges.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 