Written and directed by Jay & Mark Duplass

Jeff is a 30-year-old stoner living in his mom’s basement. He watches Signs repeatedly, adopting “there are no coincidences” as his mantra. And sure enough, through a series of increasingly far-fetched coincidences over the course of a day, Jeff faces his destiny as his brother and mother attempt to heal themselves. Since the plot hinges on these crazy coincidences, it’s kind of a given that the film feels about as shaggy and unkempt as Jeff looks. That the Duplass Bros. always direct like they’re shooting an episode of The Office is also a contributing factor. Yet the characters and their interactions feel so genuine that you can’t help but give your heart to the movie. Jason Segel and Ed Helms are terrific as Jeff and his brother Pat, while Susan Sarandon gives her best performance in years as their widowed mother. On paper, the ending would seem to be the height of unbelievable coincidence, but damn if it didn’t make me tear up. A slight, but very sweet, little film. B