By Robert Scucci
| Published
Has a friend ever told you a story so unhinged that you simply couldn’t believe anything they were telling you? Jake Johnson’s Self Reliance, a Hulu Original, takes this simple notion and takes you on a wild ride involving the dark web, a twisted manhunt involving celebrity impersonators who are out for blood, a family full of incredulous non-believers, and such a high-level of off-the-wall humor that you won’t know which end is up until you muscle through this frenetic psychological thriller comedy. Constantly making you guess whether its characters are living in the real world or some kind of elaborate work of fiction within its fiction, Self Reliance is subversive, surreal, and plays games with your mind while never losing its footing on solid ground.
Tommy’s Impossible Situation
Self Reliance wastes no time establishing its conflict when Tommy (Jake Johnson) is approached by a limo that happens to be chauffeuring Andy Samberg (playing himself) around town. Andy, who is simply being paid to be a messenger due to a lack of gainful employment, asks Tommy if he wants to participate in an adventure that he knows nothing about, but will gladly transport him to if he’s up for the challenge. Naturally, Tommy, who’s clearly bored with his current situation, hops into the limo without thinking twice.
Tommy learns that he’s been watched and vetted by unknown spectators, and he’s asked to participate in a reality TV show with the following simple premise: if he can survive for 30 days while people are trying to hunt him down and kill him, he’ll win a million dollars.
After asking a series of probing questions, Tommy agrees to participate in the game because he thinks he found a loophole in the gameplay that could work to his advantage. The loophole in Self Reliance suggests that Tommy cannot be killed if he’s in close proximity to other people because it could put their lives at risk, which is against the game’s rules – especially if any of these other people aren’t even participating in the game.
Tommy’s Descent Into Madness
At first, Tommy thinks he’s going to win an easy million dollars, and before Self Reliance kicks into high gear he fills his family in on what’s happening to him so they can help him along on this adventure. To his horror, Tommy’s mother, Laurie (Nancy Lenehan), as well as his sisters, Amy (Mary Holland) and Mary (Emily Hampshire), won’t participate in the madness because they don’t believe a word that’s coming out of his mouth … and why would they?
Desperate to prove that he’s not disassociating from reality, and that there is actually a million dollar prize on the line, Tommy hires a homeless man named James (Biff Wiff) – or is it Walter? – to follow him wherever he goes so he can go about his life without having to constantly look over his shoulder. Additionally, Tommy puts out an ad on Craigslist, hoping that some lonely stranger would like to spend all of their time with him, giving him even better odds to win the game. Thankfully, he meets Maddy (Anna Kendrick), who’s also playing the game, and agrees to spend all of her time with him so they could both survive and receive their payout.
As Self Reliance progresses through its second and third acts, information comes to light about Tommy’s past, giving you reason to believe that he’s making everything up in his head as a means to avoid coping with his past failed relationship with his girlfriend, Theresa (Natalie Morales), and his abandonment issues that stem from his father leaving when he was just a child.
Tommy certainly seems like he’s losing his marbles when he wakes up at night surrounded by a bunch of “production ninjas” who give him clues on how to complete the game. During Tommy’s waking hours, he’s attacked by avatars of Michael Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres, and has a run-in with his estranged father, who was coaxed into participating in the game by Wayne Brady of all people. Not knowing which end is up anymore, Tommy sticks to his guns and continues playing, even though it all seems like everything that’s going on may very well be a figment of his imagination.
Delightfully Deranged And Aggressively Askew
Self Reliance isn’t a movie that has a lot of camera tricks or special effects as it messes with your perspective. Packed to the gills with misdirects, so many strange things happen to Tommy that you feel like you’re going crazy alongside him as he tries to navigate through the dubiously titled gameshow, DOG (an acronym for Delusions of Grandeur).
Is Tommy actually participating in the most dangerous game for a life-changing amount of money? Or is his family right to assume that he needs serious psychiatric help because he’s lost his grip on reality?
One thing that I know for certain is that you’ll be left guessing while you laugh harder than you have any right two while watching everything unfold in Self Reliance, which is streaming on Hulu right now.
