The Puffy Chair

The Puffy Chair begins with an appealing promise: Jay Duplass will treat its comedy framework as a route into character rather than an excuse for noise. The early chemistry between Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton gives The Puffy Chair an immediate pulse. The story of The Puffy Chair begins from a specific pressure point: Josh Sagers drives cross country on a mission to deliver his father's birthday gift a giant purple LazyBoy. By the end of its 1h 25m running time, the value of The Puffy Chair rests less on novelty than on the care of its execution.

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The narrative of The Puffy Chair works from a simple but productive collision between Josh Sagers and LazyBoy. Through Mark Duplass, The Puffy Chair keeps that premise rooted in a reaction the audience can understand. Mark Duplass introduces the central character at a useful point, giving The Puffy Chair a reason to change pace without abandoning its emotional line. The handling of an important relationship is not equally fresh, yet The Puffy Chair usually earns attention through clarity rather than surprise alone.

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As director of The Puffy Chair, Jay Duplass proves clear enough to keep the emotional line visible in the transitions between intimate material and larger demands. A strong scene in The Puffy Chair often begins with a modest detail before Jay Duplass lets its meaning expand. For The Puffy Chair, its modest pleasures remain genuine because the central tone remains visible even during busy passages. The weakness in The Puffy Chair is that a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one, although Jay Duplass usually finds the original rhythm again.

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Performance is the clearest human asset in The Puffy Chair, beginning with the committed centre provided by Mark Duplass. Katie Aselton keeps The Puffy Chair from settling into one emotional register by approaching the material from another angle. The presence of Rhett Wilkins gives the surrounding world of The Puffy Chair additional texture without distracting from the main line. When Jay Duplass holds on a reaction, The Puffy Chair communicates more efficiently than another explanatory exchange could manage.

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The Puffy Chair uses its comedy framework to consider embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. For the character played by Mark Duplass, that idea gives The Puffy Chair stakes beyond the next immediate obstacle. The recurring pressure of LazyBoy prevents the theme in The Puffy Chair from feeling like decoration added after the story. Jay Duplass makes The Puffy Chair more thoughtful whenever the implications remain inside action and reaction.

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The Puffy Chair gains much of its identity from comic timing built around character, a choice that makes the world readable as well as attractive. The contribution of Duplass Brothers Productions allows The Puffy Chair to combine comic timing built around character with a consistent visual language. Within its United States setting, The Puffy Chair makes particularly good use of well judged reactions when the story needs to change scale. Sound and editing preserve the personality of The Puffy Chair by supporting detail instead of announcing every intended response.

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Overall, The Puffy Chair amounts to a solid choice for the right audience and should suit comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. The combination of Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass and comic timing built around character gives The Puffy Chair a specific identity. Although a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one in The Puffy Chair, the film recovers through craft and committed performance. For the audience it understands, The Puffy Chair offers enough character to remain worthwhile after the immediate plot has faded.