Movies made by actors are always a curious thing. Argo, A Star Is Born, and A Quiet Place stole the attention of recent audiences, but Dan Levy, Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Burr, and Charlie Day also debuted as directors last year, among dozens of other filmmakers that are primarily associated with acting. As with any crossover between approaches to art, the list of films made by actors varies immensely in quality, with Jake Johnson’s Self Reliance depending heavily on the New Girl actor’s fans to bolster its artistic success.
‘Self Reliance’ Premise
A contestant for a dark web game show must stay alive long enough to win a million dollars after a month of being hunted for sport. Upon discovering that he can avoid death when in the company of others, he has to figure out how to convince random people to stay with him for the entire month so he is never alone.
Jake Johnson’s Writing, Acting, and Filmmaking Friends
The pathway to the creative opportunity of Self Reliance may surprise casual Johnson fans. More so than just a memorable appearance opposite strong women in New Girl and Minx, Johnson’s filmmaking credits spanned three films over the last decade before his directorial debut. His journey began courtesy of filmmaker Joe Swanberg, whom he met while starring in Drinking Buddies and later collaborated with as a writer and producer for his movies Digging for Fire and Win It All. A minor detour with longtime New Girl director Trent O’Donnell came out early during the theater return of 2021, and his amusing indie career finally landed him in the director’s chair.
In every facet, Self Reliance showcases a fun time with film industry friends on paper and in execution. Though Johnson gets solo billing as writer and director for the first time, many credited collaborators worked with Johnson on other projects, including his co-producers Ali Bell and Joe Hardesty. Seeing his chemistry with Anna Kendrick again after an under-utilized pairing in Drinking Buddies will be the main draw for actor followers since the plot itself does not quite blend the perfect mix of dark, light, quirky, and twisty that it set out to accomplish.
Johnson’s Writing and Directing Vision for ‘Self Reliance’
Had Self Reliance been released in a vacuum, the appeal would likely not land for most viewers. A solid introduction for his burgeoning filmmaking abilities while relying primarily on Johnson’s wackiness and charm, Self Reliance opens with a peculiar dark comedy grip on the audience, then slowly loses what he meant to say by the end. The message of human connection comes across clearly far before the final minutes, and the understandable mental strain Johnson’s character experiences ultimately amounts to nothing.
Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick in ‘Self Reliance’ / Hulu
To his credit, Johnson’s time working in film has lent him an adept directorial touch and occasionally inventive indie spirit that shows evident promise in this debut feature. However flawed the story is in not landing anywhere particularly interesting, his writing still draws the viewer with its eternal optimism, which mirrors a trend of his characters who squeak out a win even in the most desperate circumstances. As a result, Self Reliance is too mediocre in its attempt at tonal equilibrium, ending up too light to do justice to its strange premise and perhaps a hair too dark for casual comedy fans. Johnson made a valiant effort in his opening statement as a filmmaker, but sadly, most will forget about it by the year’s end.
‘Self Reliance’ is a Rollicking Good Time, Even with the Sprinkle of Darkness
Luckily, the surface appeal of Self Reliance prevails enough for one watch, and Johnson’s followers will find his film indispensable if slightly inferior to his best work. The likable actor will not lose any fans over this one, instead making him even more of a talent to watch out for better content from in the hopefully near future. Self Reliance’s overblown yet indie production suits the vision, but tighter writing with a more satisfying conclusion will turn Johnson’s next film into a winner.
Self Reliance is streaming now on Hulu.
