Self Reliance

2024 Hulu

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 25min

Comedy ~ Thriller

Starring: Jake Johnson, Biff Wiff, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Mary Holland, Emily Hampshire, and Christopher Lloyd.

“Surviving is all about the company you keep.”

Jake Johnson stars (and directed in his directorial debut) as Tommy Walcott. On his way to work, a limo pulls up beside him and Andy Samberg rolls down the window and asks, “Do you like Limos?”. Tommy says yes and Andy Samberg invites him into the limo. Andy then tells Tommy he has been hired to read him words from a card telling him he has been chosen to “Be in an adventure” or he can leave the limo. Tommy decides he wants to continue with “An Adventure” and Andy and the limo driver drop him off in front of an old warehouse. He follows the arrows through the empty warehouse until he comes upon two men waiting for him.

They explain to Tommy that we was chosen to participate in a Dark Web Reality Game Show. They tell him that if he chooses to be a contestant he could win a million dollars. All he has to do is not get killed in the next thirty days. There will be killers hunting him and that he must survive for thirty days and he will win the money. The killers are also instructed not to put anyone else in harm’s way, so they can only kill Tommy if he is alone. Tommy sees an in and decides he can surround himself with people 24/7 for the next thirty days and agrees to participate.

He starts with his family who soon grow tired of him and within a couple of days hires a bum raiding a dumpster named James (Biff Wiff) to be his constant companion. He places a Craigslist ad looking for other contestants and meets Maddy (Anna Kendrick) who says she is also a contestant. Tommy, James and Maddy set out for the remainder of the thirty days to spend every minute together. Dealing with the reality of constantly being in each other’s space, and avoiding assassins dressed like Mario, Michael Jackson, Sinbad, Ellen DeGeneres, a Cowboy and a Sumo Wrestler.

I’m not familiar with Jake Johnson, I watched it because I saw Anna Kendrick and Andy Samberg was in it. Alright, I thought, that ought to be good. I was pleasantly surprised to see Christopher Lloyd, always a pleasure to watch. In the beginning it had me hooked on the premise and I waited for the hilarity to begin. About thirty minutes into it I started to get bored with it, I made it through but it was anti-climatic. I thought that sure was a waste of time, I had high hopes given the star power. It was nice to see Andy Samberg but it was brief and not very funny. Anna Kendrick I expected more of but it was the movie role, she is always great.

The one person who had my attention and I wanted to know more about was James played by Biff Wiff. I am not familiar with Biff Wiff and couldn’t find a whole lot of information on him. Other than his real name is Gary Crotty. Strange……

Anyway I’m not a fan of this movie, a little too stupid and boring for me. It just fell flat, not really funny. Not a comedy and not thrilling either. Just a complete waste of time and a letdown waiting for the star power to shine through the muck.

But it never did.

Two Thumbs Down.