Editor’s Note: This review was originally published in March 2023 as a part of our SXSW coverage. Self Reliance premiered on Hulu in January 2024.
As a director, Jake Johnson never misses.
That is to say, his directorial debut Self Reliance is one of the best movies of SXSW and of 2023 so far.
It’s got a simple logline: Johnson’s character is thrown into a dark web reality show where assassins hunt him for 30 days. If he survives, he wins a million dollars. While initially hesitant, he find a loophole that make him decide to join the game. If he’s with someone, he cannot be killed.
Let the hijinx begin.
This leads him to hire a homeless man named James (who we later learn 25 days in is actually named Walter but Johnson just called him that without actually knowing his name) to be his personal shadow. Other contestants like Anna Kendrick’s character also join the ride with Johnson, propelling Self Reliance to unimaginable heights.
It’s like if David Fincher’s The Game married Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies and is produced by The Lonely Island. Although during the SXSW Q&A, Johnson said his history with improv projects like the latter didn’t really play a role because this film was tightly scripted.
And it shows.
It’s no mistake just how much of a hysteria this movies gets into. What was once a high concept comedy turns into a deep exploration of self-purpose, letting go of the past, depression, and the importance of keeping someone close to you.
Maybe that sounds a bit too head-y or serious, but rest assured, it’s a comedy at heart. Even when Self Reliance feels like it might be approaching a dark turn, an Ellen Degeneres lookalike is there to beat up Johnson. Just like Andy Samberg playing himself as a hired hand to bring Johnson to the dark web game, it’s moment like that which Johnson brilliantly deploys to set the story on a narrow path for his character’s ultimate self-discovery with side-splitting moments.
There’s no surprise Johnson’s charisma is a highlight. His reunion with Kendrick is equally unsurprising, along with fun bit roles from Emily Hampshire, Christopher Lloyd (who does a great job toeing the line of Self Reliance’s reality) and Mary Holland.
But it’s James/Walter played by Biff Wiff that is the real star. While he’s largely comedic relief as a fish out of water, he’s given one truly heartfelt moment that adds another layer to Johnson’s great script. Wiff has popped up in shows and movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Silicon Valley for decades. So you may recognize his warm face. It’s nice to see him get the spotlight treatment.
While it was a script that Johnson had written years before, this might be one of the first great movies developed out of the anxieties of COVID, tapping into our fears of loneliness.
