The Puffy Chair
Peter Charney

Review by Peter Charney Pro

The Puffy Chair 2005

★★★½

Watched 07 Sep 2024

Both entirely about its titular puffy chair and not at all, this early film from the Duplass brothers presents itself as a modest road trip indie with a seemingly straightforward premise, yet delves into searingly honest reflections on fractured relationships and sustaining committed ones. While often cited as a quintessential early mumblecore film, The Puffy Chair actually displays more shape and structure than typically associated with the movement, yet it still exhibits the naturalistic performances and DIY filmmaking spirit that define the genre. As much as I always love Mark Duplass onscreen, his performances tend to inhabit a similar emotional space, with some of his later work feeling more impactful. Katie Aselton, however, truly shines in this film, and it's unfortunate she doesn't play a more prominent role in the brothers’ subsequent projects.

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