The Puffy Chair
United States
2005
85 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
Synopsis
Josh and Emily are in a relationship, but he can be inattentive and unromantic and she can shift her focus from small things to emotional issues in a moment. He invites her to drive from New York City to somewhere in Virginia to pick up a chair that he’s bought on eBay for his father’s birthday. On the way, he stops at his brother Rhett’s, outside Philly, and invites him along. Josh tries to save money at a motel, has to negotiate with the seller of the chair and with an upholsterer, and faces tough questions from Emily. He calls her “Dude,” he’s moody, and it looks as if the relationship will end soon. Is there more than meets the eye here? How do people decide? –IMDb
Director
Jay Duplass
Jay Duplass, along with his brother Mark, first made a name for himself writing and directing several award-winning short films. His first feature film was the Sundance 2005 breakout hit “The Puffy Chair,” which went on to win the Audience Award at SXSW and receive two Independent Spirit Award nominations. The film was released theatrically by Roadside Attractions and Netflix in 2006. “Baghead,” the brothers’ second feature film, was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics at Sundance 2008 for theatrical and DVD release. Fox Searchlight recently released the Duplass Brothers’ first studio feature, “Cyrus,” starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei, which has garnered rave reviews. Their latest project “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” stars Jason Segal, Ed Helms, and Susan Sarandon. Jay is also a father, husband, runner and documentarian. —IMDb
Mark Duplass
Mark David Duplass (born December 7, 1976) is an American film director, film producer, actor, and screenwriter. He is the brother of director and writer Jay Duplass.
Personal life
Duplass was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was raised in a Catholic family, and attended Jesuit High School.
Duplass is married to his co-star on The League, Katie Aselton. Duplass is considered to be one of the founders of the mumblecore aesthetic. He is also the lead singer of the rock band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!!.
Career
Duplass has written, directed, and produced a number of feature films with his brother Jay Duplass.
In 2005 he wrote and produced The Puffy Chair with his brother, in addition to acting as one of the main characters. According to IMDB, he also directed the film with his brother although he was not credited.
The two brothers later wrote, directed, and produced the films Baghead (2008) and Cyrus (2010) together and have a unique style… read more
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Ryan Estabrooks
6May11
Branduponthebrain is right. This is easily one of the worst things I've ever seen. Really, you smash a plate against the wall because your boyfriend is talking on the phone? It's stupid things like that that really ruined the film. It's also filled with some of the most uninteresting characters doing the most uninteresting things. Nothing like a Cassavetes film, people need to stop lumping them with him.
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Jonathan Cribbs
30Mar11
The guy below me calling this "brilliant" is a little too much, and it's also not one of the worst things you've ever seen. It's a pretty good movie. It's really well-written, and that's what shines through the hyper-low-budget production value.
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branduponthebrain
7May11
If good writing means I don't give a shit about any of the characters and they all annoy the hell out of me then you might be right. Even if it was good writing, story alone isn't enough to carry a film. Great cinema for me at least is a combination of many arts. An 8 year old autistic kid could have done a better job on camera and sound then these mumblecore "filmmakers."
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Mike Spence
13Aug11
Too many people worry about "camera and sound" and miss the emotional details this film gets right. Jonathan, perhaps what you think makes a film brilliant and what I think amounts to two different things. Even if I have overstated it may only be because I see or hear about so few brilliant films. More than likely the majority of the films you would say are better than The Puffy Chair, I would say are absolute crap. Just looking at your list of favorites shows me that you and I have very different criteria for what's brilliant.
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branduponthebrain
14Aug11
I don't think image and sound can be overstated for a film...if story and characters are what you want then just read a book. Yes, those elements can be important, but they aren't enough to carry a film for me. All aspects should be stellar and there is no excuse for poor craft.
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Mike Spence
14Aug11
Well, i disagree. If something exciting is happening onscreen in terms of emotions, stated and unstated, I will forgive poor craftsmanship. If nothing exciting is happening emotionally, I could give two shits about craftsmanship. When I see those beautifully shot fake batman previews on youtube I see dreck that DOES NOT MATTER. When i watch a five minute short that was made on poor video, with no money and poor sound but where a few emotional truths are captured for my experience, I'm happy.
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Jonathan Cribbs
15Aug11
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about our "criteria" there, Spence. We share a few of the same favorite movies. As for rest, I haven't seen most of your favorite movies. There's a limit to what you can deduce from someone's taste in movies.
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Jonathan Cribbs
15Aug11
I'll watch anything. But, no, obviously I'm not deep-dicking the Criterion bin in my local indy rental shop each weekend.
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branduponthebrain
15Aug11
Obviously Batman and most everything commercial for that matter, is a barren wasteland of wasted celluloid. Most every film I enjoy involves an emotional connection, but the sound and images are usually a big part of this emotional stimulus.
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Jonathan Cribbs
21Jan12
How in the hell is everything "commercial" a "barren wasteland of celluloid?" Not only can that not possibly be true, I can't imagine anyone sincerely agreeing with that statement.
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branduponthebrain
22Jan12
It is called hyperbole...it is fun you should try it out. Taking everything too seriously is a bore.
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branduponthebrain
23Jan12
I never said it was funny (fun and funny are different things, you know that right?). The movie is a piece of shit and so is "MOST everything" commercial (IN MY OPINION which really should go without saying)...see how I didn't say "everything" like you insinuated?
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PaintedDream
11Feb12
I watched this movie in class. It's great as a collective experience. Everyone would laugh together and some people would even yell at the screen at times (which is awkward, but sort of showed how much emotion people felt about it and how "realistic" it seemed) You get engrossed by it and I really enjoyed it. It was sweet and charming and a sign of what people can do now in the digital age. Film is now becoming so much subversive and you don't need a huge amount of money to make a movie, you just need a great script and good actors, which this movie had. I loved it!
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Face to face
By Mike Spence on February 10, 2011
Those who don’t see that this is one of the best films of the last 10 years don’t get what matters in great filmmaking. This film, like the best of Ozu, Leigh, Cassavetes, Watkins, Bresson, Tarkovsky… read review
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Puffy Chair (2005): Lazy Filmmaking?
121 posts by 13 people
9 months ago