Puffed up with what is the question By Hannah Dallman The Puffy Chair is an acclaimed film. It won the Audience Award at SXSW. It was a Sundance film. And the film received the covets "two thumbs up." While I hate to disagree with Ebert and Roeper (especially Ebert), this film leaves me no choice. The Puffy Chair is a film about a young couple, Josh and Emily who leave for a road trip to pick up a giant, purple recliner that Josh bought on eBay as a birthday gift for his dad. They stop off at Rhett's place (Josh's brother), and he ends up tagging along on their trip. The film then tells the story of them getting the chair, and making it home to Atlanta. Two bits of biography about Josh and Emily seem pertinent, but it is only by downloading and reading the film's press kit does one really find this out. Josh's life is supposedly in shambles; but the only information in the film is that he might be a little frustrated with how things are now. Emily supposedly doesn't have any idea of the reality of marriage; but the film fails to give us any details or depth about them or their thinking that would clue us in to exactly who they are and how they got to be that way. In my estimation, both the writing and performances fail to bring any nuance to the subtext of the story of their relationship, both of which tend to be rather one-note. No film's depth should have to rely on back story provided by the press kit. Rhett, the brother, does provide some comic relief. He's a spacey, granola-type who likes to film lizards in the bushes and talk about vibes. I got a kick out of him, until the film started to take him and his inability to commit in earnest. Then, the story line began to be an excuse for twenty something guys who are unable to have a serious relationship (with a romantic partner or otherwise) without really exploring why that might be, or anything else in any kind of meaningful, in depth manner. Josh, the main character, also seems to be completely lacking in any sort of redeeming quality. He is angry and sarcastic, and uses less than interesting ways to get what he wants. Once again, as an audience member, I have very little information about why he is the way he is. As far as story and plot go, the relationship between Josh and Emily seems to be at a complete standstill. Perhaps that might be the point, but I feel like the film tells us that in the same manner over and over. It does this so much that their breakup isn't a relief to the viewer, or sad, but instead just another moment between two people who aren't particularly smart or funny or articulate (perhaps the only thing going for them is that they are on the cute side). On a side note, I also couldn't stand the way that the only had moments that can only be considered marginally intimate or sweet when they were talking in utterly obnoxious baby talk. I can see how that might've been a directorial choice to show that they were unable to articulate themselves as themselves in intimate moments, but to this viewer, it was just annoying and I shut down. How could one not comment on the chair, since it is part of the film's title. Josh has purchased this chair for his father's birthday, but why this chair is suddenly so important that it justifies a road trip to get is unforgivably left a mystery. This means it comes across as more of a cheap plot device than anything, adding some totally unnecessary obstacle to what should be essentially a character-based piece. Eventually, it is set on fire by the vibe-wielding Rhett in an attempt to purge the van of bad mo-jo, but what ultimately is just another act of selfishness on his part; one for which he is forgiven by Josh, and then Rhett's character quietly falls away from the story without any transformation or insight. The lack of development of what the chair is and stands for is just another in a series of missed opportunities in the film. The road element of this road trip film left much to be desired as well. The towns they stopped in were anonymous, unremarkable, and were only stops on the road and didn't add any significant element to the storytelling at play. Not only that, but they included a shot of Emily as a passenger in the van making air 'waves' with her hand out of the van window. I could only see that as filler, or some weak attempt at saying that being on a road trip was fun, in a very calculated, cliche manner. Overall, I found The Puffy Chair to be a disappointing film. It was a lost opportunity to explore the nature of contemporary young love; falling in and out of it, and what motivates us to keep trying. I left the theater feeling distinctly unsatisfied — I didn't grab on to these characters, and felt like they lacked any significant development that would compel me to care about them or their situation. In fact, I found them very unlikable throughout the entire film. Somehow, I don't think that was the point. This film ignores plenty of moments that might make some incisive commentary about these people and the situation. The idea of going on a road trip to retrieve an eBay purchase is a clever and interesting start, and unfortunately, the film didn't fulfill it's potential. The Puffy Chair Written/Directed by Jay and Mark Duplass Dist. By Roadside Attractions/Netflix Seen at Landmark Century 7:15pm Sunday, Sept. 24 —Hannah Dallman is the director of the film, A Whirling Tango, an Official Selection of the 2005 Chicago International Film Festival. NOT YET A SUBSCRIBER TO POLYSEMY? 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