'Jexi' [Blu-ray + Digital]
(Adam Devine, Rose Byrne, Wanda Sykes, Alexandra Shipp, et al / Blu-ray + Digital / R / 2019 / LGF)
Overview: To Phil (Adam Devine), a hot Saturday night is binge-watching reality shows and ordering takeout. Phil needs to get a life.
What Phil gets is a new phone with an unexpected feature: Jexi (Rose Byrne), a badass A.I. life coach determined to make a man out of him.
With Jexi’s help, Phil attracts his dream job, fun friends, and a beautiful girl.
But when Phil grows less dependent on Jexi, she morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself in this star-studded comedy from the writers of The Hangover and Bad Moms.
Blu-ray Verdict: For those not in the know, 'Jexi' is about the titular Siri/Alexa-like phone program (voiced by Rose Byrne) with a mind of her own who ends up wreaking havoc with the life of an introverted phone addict played by Adam Devine.
In truth, Jexi makes this film. Her smack talking brings the biggest laughs. I also appreciated that this avoids some of the clichés you usually get with AI-run-amok films.
Jexi lets you know what she is from the get-go. There's no slow burn of her pretending to act regularly or slowly gaining sentience. However, her arc does become more predictable in the second half.
They really didn't have to hire a known actor to do this. Plenty of people could've easily spoken in a phone-like voice without vocal change. Still, I do admit that Byrne does a good job.
I also liked the usually more over-the-top Devine who does a good job with a more subdued role. (This is especially a relief because I didn't think he did a great job in his last straight man role in Isn't it Romantic.)
That all said, please understand that this movie works more on a feel-good level than a laugh-a-minute one. Jexi is in about every other scene and when she isn't there, some people may find some of the scenes; many of them involving Devine's character predictably growing as a person, too leisurely for their taste.
In closing, if you have ever owned a smart phone / device, this is a movie for you! What would you do when your phone knows better then you do (or thinks it does?)
Ergo, 'Jexi' is enjoyable viewing for anyone who has experience with smart devices and wants a laugh at the struggles of life and what joys might be experienced when you allow yourself to live. It's worth giving a chance to sometime, trust me. This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.39:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
• “Jexi: Making Life Better” Featurette
• “Unboxing Jexi” Featurette
• “Filming in Fog City” Featurette
• “Tech Bros” Featurette
• “Phone Fixation” Featurette
The 'Jexi' Blu-ray and DVD will include brand-new making-of featurettes, including “Jexi: Making Life Better” and “Unboxing Jexi,” and will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
www.LGF.com
Official 'Jexi' Trailer