Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Joshy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 7, 2016

Note: A couple of unavoidable plot details are mentioned below which some may find verge on “spoiler” territory. For those sensitive to such things, skipping down to the technical portions of the review is encouraged.

Is suicide funny? It’s a provocative question, and one that Jeff Baena doesn’t necessarily shirk from exploring in the commentary that’s included on Joshy, since the film’s entire plot hinges on the early self inflicted death of a character. There seems to be a bit of subtext in the opening sequence of the film, which introduces the titular Joshy (Thomas Middleditch) and his girlfriend Rachel (Alison Brie). In what is either some weirdly sloppy screenwriting or brilliantly smart misdirection, this opening scene seems to suggest that Joshy is a depressive sort and Rachel an unfaltering light. He’s not especially communicative and huddles in a near fetal position in the couple’s bed as she discusses options for dinners while gently stroking his arm. Josh retreats to his apartment building’s gym while Rachel begins making dinner, pausing for a minute to phone her mother. Everything seems fine, which of course means it probably isn’t. When Josh returns from his workout to find the strange vision of a section of belt poking out through the doorframe, it’s obvious something odd has happened. In what might be a directorial misstep, Baena actually cuts to inside the apartment to detail that Rachel has hung herself with the belt strapped to the doorknob (wouldn’t it have been more effective, albeit even more shocking, to simply have had Josh walk through the door and discover her?). Four months later, Josh receives a phone call that a house he and his buddies had rented for a proposed bachelor party before the intended nuptials of Josh and Rachel has a non refundable deposit and that it’s a “use it or lose it” proposition. Josh phones his friend Ari (Adam Pally) about the predicament, and it’s decided to go ahead with a stress free weekend in the woods of Ojai, although now in an obviously different context than what was originally imagined. Also along for the ride are Adam (Alex Ross Perry), a nebbishy sort who is undeniably depressive and who is going through a breakup of his own, and Eric (Nick Kroll), more of a party hearty type who is out to show everyone (and probably most of all himself) a good time. Joshy is a semi-improvised piece that coasts on the considerable charisma of its cast, but ironically it may end up being a bit too structured for its own good. This is a film without any huge plot “arcs” or even overly contrived moments, but which nonetheless feels formulaic in a way, kind of like a bizarre mashup of The Hangover Trilogy and television’s thirtysomething, with a bunch of (at times rowdy) friends “discovering themselves”, for better or worse. It’s often appealing, but it’s loosey-goosey ambience will not be to everyone’s taste.

The characters are well drawn enough in Joshy that the tensions between the original quartet of characters is apparent virtually from the get go. Josh and Adam would seem to be a kind of natural pair, both undergoing emotional trauma but also united by their nerdy love of convoluted board games (kind of like “Settlers of Catan”). But Josh is a little more of a partier than Adam is, as evidenced by his willingness to share a toke or two with Ari. Eric kind of seems like the provocateur of the group and in a way an outsider, something that’s reinforced when he encourages the group to head out to a local watering hole instead of holing up at the house and playing the game Adam has brought. At the bar two new characters are introduced, Jodi (Jenny Slate), a sweet if somewhat addled seeming woman who initially literally stumbles through the frame (supposedly in search of her cell phone), and Greg (Brett Gelman), an obnoxious loudmouth whom the group momentarily thinks is their extremely rude waiter until they realize they’re being punked.

The entire gaggle ends up back at the house, where the next morning even more folks show up, including another friend, Aaron (Joe Swanberg), who evidently didn’t get the memo that this was a guys’ weekend and who arrives with his wife and young son in tow. That sets up one of the few actual moments of downright intensity between some characters, albeit one played kinda sorta for laughs, as Aaron is shocked to find the home overrun with booze and drugs (a not all that funny joke has Aaron’s young son being offered cocaine). After a heated interchange, Aaron and brood actually depart, but in the meantime, a relationship between Ari and Jodi has sparked, this despite the fact that Ari clearly was trying to get Josh to hook up with Jodi, and (perhaps even more saliently) the fact that Ari is married.

In a film as laden with vignettes as this one is, there are bound to be hits and misses, and it’s that kind of ragged quality that will either appeal to some viewers or conversely turn them off. Joshy attempts to aim for some kind of catharsis, but I’m not sure the seeming randomness of certain elements ever provides a firm enough foundation for that supposed payoff. While the overall plot dynamics may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or THC, as the case may be), the performances are largely extremely winning and help the film to navigate its own self inflicted wounds. A kind of bizarre late development involving Rachel’s distraught parents (played by Paul Reiser and Lisa Edelstein) threatens to completely send the film careening off its already fairly precarious rails, but Baena reins in this probable stumble to return to the hapless but resilient Joshy, a decision that most likely saves the film from its own suicidal tendencies.

Joshy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Joshy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. While the IMDb is once again dataless on how this film was shot, other online information, including a really interesting interview with the film's cinematographer Patrice Lucien Cochet which can be found here, reference the Arri Alexa. While this has the general sharpness and good detail levels of contemporary digital capture, I have to say I found the overall look of the film to be a little underwhelming, due mostly to the kind of drab surroundings the characters find themselves in. In that regard, the palette, clarity and detail levels all receive significant upgrades when the film ventures out of doors in bright sunlight (contrast screenshot 3 with several of the other screenshots of interior settings for a good example). The sequences at the bar tend to be slathered in yellowish tones, something that doesn't really provide ample support for general detail levels. Contrast is a little inconsistent at times, struggling at least slightly during some shots that are aimed directly at light sources (see screenshot 8).

Joshy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Joshy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is, like its video counterpart, technically proficient while not offering much "wow" factor. The surround activity tends to work best in scenes where there are large groups, especially some of the outdoor material, where there's a nice lifelike ambience to environmental sounds, and good spaciousness and directionality in terms of spoken elements. Fidelity is fine and dynamic range fairly limited, as should be expected from what is in essence a talk-fest.

Joshy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Jeff Baena, Producer/Actor Adam Pally and Actor Thomas Middleditch

Joshy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I actually found that Baena's previous film Life After Beth had more comedic bite at times (sorry, couldn't resist) than Joshy, but there's an appealing hangdog quality to this film that lovers of contemporary indie cinema will probably take to quite easily. Performances are generally winning, and they help the film to overcome some poor plotting (or lack thereof) by Baena. Technical merits are technically strong if uninspiring, and with caveats noted, Joshy comes Recommended.