The Puffy Chair (2005)
No this isn't some sort of expanded
MTV "Cribs" documentary about the piece of furniture
where P. Diddy puts his posterior, although that will
be the theme of the first line of every review written
about the film. "The Puffy Chair" is a comedy/drama/relationship
movie made by the Duplass brothers, Jay and Mark,
former Austinites.
We meet Josh, played by Mark, and
his snooty girlfriend Emily, played pitch perfect
by Katie Aselton, as they are eating dinner. The dynamic
of the relationship is immediately evident to us.
Knowing this is a local film, and a low budget film,
we immediately love Emily because Aselton plays her
as one of those nice to your face/claws in your back
type of women with such delight and talent that we
can't help but admire her work here. We know we are
seeing one of the greatest performances ever captured
in a low-budget film and the feeling of discovery
is palpable.
Then comes Rhett Jordan as Josh's
aptly named brother, Rhett. A spiritualist and metaphysical
type, Rhett is nearly the exact opposite of Josh.
Watching the attractive Aselton, as the bitch, and
Jordan, as the hippie play off of Mark as the "regular
Joe" is the fun of this film. The three actors here
are immensely talented at bringing their characters
to life.
But, alas, it can get annoying,
especially when Josh does an about face and forgives
his brother and girlfriend when they screw him over
or treat him like dirt. Josh is a wuss here and watching
him capitulate to the other two characters can be
irritating. The brothers may address this in a scene
where Josh does not surrender when he is being pushed
around by a merchant but it only adds to our dismay.
We see that Josh is not just a wuss. But this only
makes it worse when he reverts back to allowing his
brother and girlfriend to walk all over him. Perhaps
this is realistic (and it is), but it is still tormenting
to watch.
But it can also be riveting and
amazingly raw when Mark and Aselton, as Josh and Emily,
really begin to hash out their problems. Two amazing
scenes between the actors appear in the last half
of the film with one of them appearing as the film's
ending, pulling us into an unbelievably audacious
and powerful conclusion to the film. It's no accident
that the two have such chemistry, as they are in a
relationship in real life, but there is much more
than just familiarity going on here. Aselton is amazing.
Mark is near perfect. And the two of them together
give us a couple that we really grow to care about
and consider.
The impetus for all the action in
the film is the titular "Puffy Chair," a recliner
Josh has bought on e-Bay from a furniture company.
His plan is to pick up the chair as he heads to visit
his parents and give it to his father as a birthday
gift. The family had a similar chair in Josh and Rhett's
youth and he thinks it will be a perfect gift. And
while what happens with the chair is important to
the continuing relationship drama that we see unfold,
it isn't used as specifically as metaphor as one might
hope. Perhaps other will see this as subtlety on the
brothers' part, but I wished there could have been
more in the film about Josh trying to connect to his
childhood and his family, since he is emerging as
an adult man in the film. The "chair" could have been
used as an object to evoke much more thoughtfulness
and reminiscence from the two on-screen brothers here,
giving us much more to like about both of them.
"The Puffy Chair" has a buttload
of laughs, all of which are real and funny, even when
they evolve out of some more absurdist aspects of
Josh and his relationships with his girlfriend and
brother. And yet, the film also has plenty of moments
that work as drama. While it is comedic and goofy
at times, there is a subtext here that makes the film
more than just your typical, low-budget, relationship
comedy.
Note:
The Duplass' parents plays Josh's
parents in the film.
According to the credits, Mark wrote
the script and produced in addition to starring. Jay
directed.
Two chairs were purchased to use
in the film.
Shot in Maine, in Aselton's home
town.
Clips of Mark David's film "Sweet
Thing" are used in the film.
Josh continually calls everyone,
including his girlfriend "Dude" in the film, making
me think this film could become the catalyst for an
excellent drinking game.
The film premiered at Sundance and
won the "Emerging Visions" award at SXSW in 2005.
Viewed at SXSW in March 2005.
