Given the opportunity to participate in a life or death reality game show, one man discovers there's a lot to live for.Given the opportunity to participate in a life or death reality game show, one man discovers there's a lot to live for.Given the opportunity to participate in a life or death reality game show, one man discovers there's a lot to live for.
John Hans Tester
- Anders
- (as Hans Tester)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This movie is an unexpected delight. Surreal. Hilarious. Tense. Empathetic. Adorable. Cathartic. Inspiring. Subverts expectations. Fun. Positive. Visually interesting. Great camera work and stunning credits art.
Just the right amount of absurdity and surrealness to balance the angst and unease. Comedy Thriller may be my new favorite genre.
Fun cameos from Andy Samberg, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Brady, and the spitting image of the voice of Ellen DeGeneres.
Way to go, Jake Johnson (and Lonely Island). This is truly an underrated pleasure. I loved the journey and greatly appreciated the destination!
Just the right amount of absurdity and surrealness to balance the angst and unease. Comedy Thriller may be my new favorite genre.
Fun cameos from Andy Samberg, Christopher Lloyd, Wayne Brady, and the spitting image of the voice of Ellen DeGeneres.
Way to go, Jake Johnson (and Lonely Island). This is truly an underrated pleasure. I loved the journey and greatly appreciated the destination!
It's a cool movie if you don't have anything else to watch. I liked it. It's sort of funny, and it makes you a bit anxious. The game could've been a bit more challenging though.
(***MINOR SPOILER***)
The movie could have been more of a thriller if the game was challenging and Tommy's life was constantly in danger. If paying a homeless guy to be with you all the time saves you from being killed, I don't see the thrill of it.
I read a comment saying it's not as funny, and I have to agree. You'll see people acting goofy every now and then and a bit of humor in some scenes, but just as it could be more thrilling, it could also be more comedic.
(***MINOR SPOILER***)
The movie could have been more of a thriller if the game was challenging and Tommy's life was constantly in danger. If paying a homeless guy to be with you all the time saves you from being killed, I don't see the thrill of it.
I read a comment saying it's not as funny, and I have to agree. You'll see people acting goofy every now and then and a bit of humor in some scenes, but just as it could be more thrilling, it could also be more comedic.
Imagine you're alone and a chance is then presented, to make a million bucks just for 30 days tormented, there's a caveat or two, on occasion you'll be blue, quite often feel frustrated, and abandoned, discontented. On your journey you'll encounter those who may become your friends, as well as those quite keen to bring existence to an end, there'll be those living in shadows, impersonators in costumed clothes, but as the film continues, you will question, what's been penned. As like me you may sit static without laughing or a smirk, as the humour is quite lacking and poor Tommy is a berk, although you may feel sympathetic, to his plight that's quite prophetic, alas the value it delivers, is most likely to just irk.
I had some trepidations about this movie, but the premise of this quirky story made me curious AND I like the actor Jake Johnson, so my hopes were high, BUT...
The bad: the story ended up being completely silly and void of ANY originality. Just lame. Not credible. Let alone be anything near suspenseful or mysterious.
Well perhaps the acting was any good? NOPE. The jokes? NOPE. Let me think if there is anything left that might be positive to say. I am sorry, I am lost for words...
I love Jake Johnson as the actor, but he directed (debut) AND wrote AND produced this movie, while he had no earlier experience in directing at all and he basically made a uneventful tedious flop.
The bad: the story ended up being completely silly and void of ANY originality. Just lame. Not credible. Let alone be anything near suspenseful or mysterious.
Well perhaps the acting was any good? NOPE. The jokes? NOPE. Let me think if there is anything left that might be positive to say. I am sorry, I am lost for words...
I love Jake Johnson as the actor, but he directed (debut) AND wrote AND produced this movie, while he had no earlier experience in directing at all and he basically made a uneventful tedious flop.
I enjoyed watching this movie. The premise of the main plot was very intriguing and I enjoyed watching it develop. The cast was exceptional and conveyed their emotions in a very real way. Jake Johnson - the protagonist and creator of the film - is hilarious and obviously Andy Samberg is as well. Anna Kendrick, unsurprisingly, played her character practically flawlessly. The same is true for basically all of the other actors involved. My main critique concerns the structure of the movie. I feel the movie was cut a bit too short. The introduction could have been stretched out a bit more and the ending could have been more thoroughly explored. I liked how the reality of the situation was left a bit open to interpretation, but it did result in an uneasy and perhaps unsettling ending, in my opinion. I think I - like other viewers possibly - was expecting some sort of "plot twist" or major reveal. It felt a bit empty without a significant climax moment. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I laughed and found myself at the end of my seat throughout the entirety of the film. It was mainly the ending that left me feeling as if something was missing.
I recommend this movie to anyone who might enjoy a mild thriller with comedic aspects. It was a nice watch, just a bit odd. Decently thought-provoking as well, which I appreciated.
I recommend this movie to anyone who might enjoy a mild thriller with comedic aspects. It was a nice watch, just a bit odd. Decently thought-provoking as well, which I appreciated.
Did you know
- TriviaJake Johnson has stated in interviews that the inspiration for the movie's plot were various Japanese game shows with extreme premises that he watched in his youth.
- Quotes
Tommy: So let me get this straight, it's 30 days, right? and you guys are hunting me for my life but you cannot touch me if I am with someone and the hunters might not even ever make it to my city, so there's a chance I spend the entire 30 days and no one even finds me and then I get a million dollars, that's the game?
Magnus: Are you interested?
Tommy: Let's play.
- SoundtracksEvery Step of the Way
Written by Harvey Scales (as Harvey L Scales)
Performed by Harvey Scales and the Seven Sounds
Courtesy of The Numero Group
- How long is Self Reliance?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Самодостатність
- Filming locations
- Highland Park, Los Angeles, California, USA(Tommy is chased by cowboy just before finding limo.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 25m(85 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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