badhabitslounge
By all accounts, most reviewers liked this film. I did not find the male characters likable. I did not find the story likable. I did not find the production likable. I did find this film a total waste of time.
MisterWhiplash
This is a nice little find for anyone looking around through the 'indie' section of the video store (or, for contemporaries, the independent section of Netflix, who actually distributed the film), and it has some nice performances and some nice human comedy. I keep saying 'nice' because sometimes it isn't so nice, so I guess sarcastically I mean it isn't so. There is a lot of good going for the Duplass brothers on their first feature film outing, about Josh (Mark Duplass) going to pick up a puffy red chair that is like he had as a childhood keepsake for his father, along with his girlfriend Emily (Katie Aselton) and along the way picking up his brother Rhett (Rhett Wilkins, simple enough to remember). The two main characters Josh and Emily seem to be fairly complex characters, the operating word 'seem'. They are close and show affection, but Emily is not sure where the relationship is going and neither is Josh, and on the road trip both see that there is friction as to the negativity towards romance Emily feels and how Josh doesn't respond to Emily's feelings. So it's very much about the characters. This is important, and the Duplass' know it, since their camera-work, in the sort of Mumblecore aesthetic if there is one, is to follow the characters based solely on emotion. If there was such a thing as a focus puller, or even a shot list, I really wonder if the Duplass' used them. So, are the characters likable? Did I enjoy going on this adventure with them from New York to Atlanta? Up to a point. Where it started to lose me was when the character Rhett took over for large chunks of the story. It's not that it's not understandable why Josh would put up, or even love, Rhett, since he's known him his whole life. But for the audience, he comes off like he is: a hippy-dippy guy who falls in love on the first night and foolishly gets "married" to a woman he just met, which (thankfully) he ditches the next morning. There's another twist that happens later in the film that is more alarming, and had me yelling at the screen, which is something I usually reserve for movies that fly off the rails. The Puffy Chair ultimately keeps to its low-key ways, but it almost goes into being just annoying itself, not simply about annoying people.You know what you're in for if you've seen something else by or featuring the Duplass' like Humpday or the recent Cyrus, which is akin to Puffy Chair's dealings with love and neuroses and trying to connect with one another with or without the bulls***. The Puffy Chair is a good start, but one can see that there's much growth to be had from its (yes) hipster roots.
kisfermi
I watched this movie on a sleepy "nothing good is on, but I just don't feel like doing anything serious right now" afternoon during the Winter Holidays, but was in for a very nice surprise. It's a linear plot, yet, it's far from being predictable. But what I liked the most about this flick is its exquisite sense of humor; it probably also helped that to me Joshua's character was somewhat reminiscent to that of Peter Gibbons in my all-time favorite movie Office Space. In a general sense, this movie really reminded me of Before Sunset in terms of its overall charm and the natural nature :-) of acting. (Unfortunately I haven't seen Before Sunrise yet, so I can't really refer to that one in this comparison.) So to conclude, this movie was well-written, well-directed and very well-acted; it would be nice to see more indie masterpieces like this.
ikarusprojekt
There was something about this film that really did it for me. Mark Duplass and Kathryn Aselton had great chemistry! The situations weren't over the top....They felt just right. This film was very human...and what I mean by that is there was a lot of really,real stuff in this little gem.This is a MUST see for all you indie film buffs out there! I think there is something for everyone in this one!..."Puffy Chair" felt like a tag along production...It felt like a film crew tagged along with a guy and his girlfriend and his brother while on a road trip and whatever happened...Happened. There were moments when I forgot I was watching a movie. It felt as though I was right there with them..I can also relate to a lot of what happened. I am looking forward to future Duplass films!!....
