An earlier product of the mumblecore movement, The Duplass Brother's The Puffy Chair is a refreshing, original take on the indie road trip movie genre, succeeding at being both a romantic comedy and a buddy movie as well as a dramady all at once. Released in 2006, The Puffy Chair tells the story of a young couple played by writer Mark 
Duplass and Kathryn Aselton whose romance
Duplass and Kathryn Aselton whose romance isn't always a garden of roses. Constantly transitioning from lovely moments of bliss to annoyance with each other to huge arguments, the film at once sets up an ominous cloud that covers the story leaving the viewer to speculate their future. As the couple sets off on a road trip to pick up a present for Mark's father's birthday, the eponymous Puffy Chair, they encounter Mark's brother Rhett, who invites himself along for the ride, and a series of humorous events that pay off amazingly well due to the film's realistic approach.
If anything, The Puffy Chair is proof that you don't need money to make a great engaging comedy if you have good direction, a sharp intelligent script and actors who embrace the awkward realism and subtlety the film aims for.
The film's strongest aspect without a doubt is the acting. Despite the leads lack of experience or notoriety, Mark Duplass and Kathryn Aselton give great performances as the couple whose trip
is crashed. As Josh, Mark Duplass captures the essence of a twenty something whose doubts and fear of commitment slowly destroy his relationship. Resorting to childish humor and baby talk as a defense mechanism, Duplass bravely embraces Josh's cowardice and repressed frustration. You can see in his eyes that he feels alone, the last sane man, despite the love he receives both his eccentric brother, another decent performance by Rhett Wilkins, and his girlfriend, played to great emotional bipolars by Kathryn Aselton.
is crashed. As Josh, Mark Duplass captures the essence of a twenty something whose doubts and fear of commitment slowly destroy his relationship. Resorting to childish humor and baby talk as a defense mechanism, Duplass bravely embraces Josh's cowardice and repressed frustration. You can see in his eyes that he feels alone, the last sane man, despite the love he receives both his eccentric brother, another decent performance by Rhett Wilkins, and his girlfriend, played to great emotional bipolars by Kathryn Aselton.In the end, The Puffy Chair is just a great movie, filled with great writing and direction from the Duplass brothers and acting that embraces realism while still being sharply intelligent and hilarious. It is a must see for any film lover.
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