Ed Helms Shows Off His Dramatic Side in This Underrated Dramedy

The Big Picture

• Ed Helms shows off his dramatic acting chops in Jeff, Who Lives at Home through his portrayal of Pat, a flawed and insecure character with a journey of self-reflection and change.
• The chemistry between Helms and Jason Segel’s characters drives the film’s effectiveness, as they navigate issues of loneliness, marital struggles, and sibling rivalry.
• Jeff, Who Lives at Home stands out in the mumblecore film movement with its focus on Pat’s redemption, and Helms successfully turns a potentially unlikable character into a compelling protagonist.

Ed Helms is among the many stars of the American reboot of The Office that used the sitcom’s popularity to launch a successful career in comedy films. Andy Bernard was among the most likable characters on The Office because of his completely earnest lack of self-awareness, and the sheer goofiness that Helms brought to the role made him one of the wackier figures on a show that already had its fair share of exaggerated characters. While his knack for eccentricity signified his comedic talents, Helms is also a more talented dramatic actor than he is given credit for. Helms proved in Mark and Jay Duplass’ 2012 independent comedy Jeff, Who Lives At Home that he could bring both humor and pathos to a flawed character in a “slice of life” dramedy.

‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ Features a More Mature Ed Helms Performance

Jeff, Who Lives At Home centers on the unemployed stoner Jeff Tompkins (Jason Segel in one of his best film roles), who avoids adult responsibilities by spending the majority of his life in his mother Sharon’s (Susan Sarandon) basement. Jeff struggles with anxiety and does his best to avoid any responsibilities that could add unneeded stress to his life. This becomes more difficult when he reunites with his brother, Pat (played by Helms), an aspiring businessman with a significant ego. Although Pat refuses to admit that he wants (or needs) his brother’s help, he begins to suspect that his wife Linda (Judy Greer) is having an affair. As Pat recruits Jeff to help spy on Linda, the two brothers end up sharing a bonding experience as they reassess their priorities.

The chemistry between Segel and Helms is what makes Jeff, Who Lives At Home so effective. Although their adventure gets them into a few strange situations, the film analyzes real issues regarding loneliness, marital indiscretion, and sibling rivalry. Helms is great at showing how Pat’s arrested development is different from Jeff’s —even though Jeff is the one who has never left his mother’s basement, Pat still holds on to childish feelings of jealousy and self-obsession. It’s evident that both characters need to evolve, but Pat has the more difficult journey. While Jeff simply needs to open himself up to new experiences, Pat needs to change the outlook that he has on life. While characters experiencing a midlife crisis is a common theme in the Duplass brothers’ films, Jeff, Who Lives At Home is able to show two different examples of immaturity.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home was one of the pivotal films within the “mumblecore” movement, a subsection of American independent cinema that involved filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg, Lynn Shelton, and the Duplass brothers. Mumblecore films often focus on realistic dialogue, interpersonal relationships, and romantic struggles, and occasionally risk feeling uncinematic due to their improvisational quality. Jeff, Who Lives At Home stands out in comparison to other mumblecore films due to its focus on Pat’s redemptive arc. Helms is perfect as a character who must win back the respect of his partner, and earn the emotional investment of the viewer.

Helms Turns a Potentially Unlikable Character Into a Compelling Protagonist in ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’

Helms and Segels’ brotherly chemistry is so good that it’s easy to imagine what their relationship looked like as children. An early scene involves Pat forcing Jeff to spy on Linda’s interactions with another man while sitting at a restaurant. Although the situation obviously makes Jeff uncomfortable, Pat seems to pay no regard to his brother’s well-being. He’s so obsessed with confirming his wife’s loyalty that he doesn’t pay attention to the issues that are in front of him. It’s a compelling way to show Pat’s ignorance at play, and explains why his marriage has gone into such a downward spiral. Pat can’t be bothered to deal with an issue until he’s faced with the consequences. While Helms depicted a similar character arc with his role as Stuart Price in The Hangover franchise, Jeff, Who Lives At Home allowed him to play a more realistic character.

Helms’ performance is impressive because a lesser actor could have made Pat a completely unlikable and irritable character to follow for an entire film. Pat is often a jerk and seems to judge anyone who questions his behavior. However, Helms is able to show that all of Pat’s aggression comes from his feelings of insecurity. Pat drives a Porsche because it makes him feel superior, and avoids talking about his feelings because it makes him feel inferior. Helms makes Pat’s journey of self-reflection a rewarding one, as by the end of Jeff, Who Lives at Home, he realizes that the direction that his life is headed in is unsustainable. Helms shows how Pat acknowledges his flaws, and attempts to make positive changes in his life in what is a sensitive deconstruction of the pressures of masculinity. However, Helms never glorifies Pat’s obnoxious behavior, and it’s evident that for the majority of the film, the audience is supposed to be laughing at Pat, not with him.

Helms’ Performance in ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ Shows His Talents as a Dramatic Actor

Although many of Helms’ best films are comedies, Jeff, Who Lives At Home allows him to show his talents as a dramatic actor. One of the pivotal sequences in the film involves Jeff and Pat reminiscing about their father as they visit his grave. Although the scene has an element of awkward humor, Helms shows how Pat’s unwillingness to be sincere is just an attempt to mask his grief. He is also able to explore how Pat’s lack of imagination makes it more difficult for him to find the same passion in life that Jeff does. While Jeff believes in a higher purpose and thinks that he has a preordained destiny, Pat doesn’t give any credibility to something that he doesn’t understand. Although this may give him a more realistic outlook on life compared to Jeff, it also makes him less happy (this may explain why Pat feels so protective over what he thinks he “owns.”)

All this to say, Jeff, Who Lives At Home is an underrated gem that showed Helms’ diverse talents as a character actor. While his performances in The Hangover trilogy and The Office allowed him to develop a strain of identifiable “quirks,” Jeff, Who Lives At Home indicated that Helms doesn’t have to replicate the same comedic performances. In recent years, he’s expanded his roles in independent films with his performances in the marital dramedy Together, Together and the biopic Chappaquiddick, and Jeff, Who Lives At Home can be credited with kickstarting a new era within his career.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home is streaming on Prime Video.

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