The new evil smartphone comedy Jexi is a desperate mock-up of recognizable human behavior, but one key element rings truer than most Hollywood productions: characters are constantly looking at their phones. That way, machines will "always defer to humans" and "ask for permission when appropriate." with a (malicious) mind of its own. How to Stop Superhuman A.I. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. Jexi doesn't bring anything new to the table comedically. There's also an extended sequence of Phil taking photos of his penis (photos of which are then shown), which Jexi later sends to his entire work email list. The Phil / Cate relationship requires a fair amount of buy-in up front, not least because Devine is nearly a decade older than Shipp, though the movie seems to be pretending otherwise. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. His only "friend" is cellphone Siri. Phil's new phone comes with an unexpected feature: Jexi, an A.I. Phil makes top 10 pop lists at work. life coach, virtual assistant and cheerleader. Phil makes top 10 pop lists at work. Meanwhile in the real world, I finally got a cubicle by a window and it’s only taken me 20 years to get it. ... And when Phil begins to take less of an interest in his phone while he’s out “living his best life,” the slighted Jexi reacts like a crazy ex-girlfriend version of HAL 9000. Jexi, starring Adam Devine, Alexandra Shipp, Wanda Sykes, Rose Byrne, and Michael Peña, is a limp comedy about an evil smartphone, something of a sketch-humor riff on Spike Jonze’s Her. is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Mashable, MashBash and Mashable House are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. Jexi With its help, he begins to get a real life. Film Review: ‘Jexi’ Adam DeVine is a dweeb who develops a relationship with his virtual cell-phone assistant in a comic trifle that's like a foul-mouthed parody of 'Her.' However as his real life improves, he starts to use less of his phone which prompts Jexi to transform into a digital nightmare that is determined to keep Phil all to itself. Similarly, Jexi disregards Phil's wishes and calls Cate's work phone after business hours, which indirectly facilitates a meet-cute for the two in a coffee shop the next day. 16+ But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi’s artificial intelligence morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself, even if it means ruining his chances of finding success. Film Review: ‘Jexi’ Adam DeVine is a dweeb who develops a relationship with his virtual cell-phone assistant in a comic trifle that's like a foul-mouthed parody of 'Her.' Directed by Jon Lucas, Scott Moore. 11 Oct 2019 Released: But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi's artificial intelligence morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself, even if it means ruining his chances of finding success. machine ceases to torture a human being because she no longer feels like it. The A-Plot of the film is that Jexi is forcing Phil to actually live his life, disconnected from his phone and present in the real world. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. That idea goes underdeveloped in Jexi, as does any inkling that Phil might be a genuine introvert who doesn’t necessarily need to be nudged into making friends with his co-workers at a BuzzFeed-like publisher. Even at her least dimensional and most outlandish, Jexi has a personality. Writer-directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore are basically advocating for more human interaction, and lightly satirizing our collective dependence on technology by imagining a situation where phones are as needy and grasping about their owners as vice versa. Uploaded By: FREEMAN Downloaded 316231 times 2019-12-24 12:19:18 Phil, on the other hand, is eager to return to his routine of ordering food delivery and watching Netflix from his couch. life coach, virtual assistant and cheerleader. But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi's artificial intelligence morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself, even if it means ruining his chances of finding success. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. He even thanks the operating system for making his life better. When Phil literally bumps into local bike shop owner Cate (Alexandra Shipp) because he’s staring at his phone, the fact that she’s wholly uninterested in a glowing screen and has seeming no social media presence is the movie’s idea of a major personality trait. The film's premise is painstakingly modern: Phil (Adam Devine) breaks his phone when he bumps into Cate (Alexandra Shipp) — like so many of us, he was looking down at his device instead of where he was walking. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. With her help, Phil begins to get a real life. (They work on viral lists, while Phil yearns to move into the serious journalism vertical.) Jexi then lets it slip that Cate’s ex is at a hotel, and Phil deduces that Jexi set the two of them up to separate Phil and Cate, so he storms out of the apartment, leaving the phone inside. But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi’s artificial intelligence morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself, even if it means ruining his chances of finding success. Categorizing it as science fiction would be an act of generosity to its screenplay, which is an object lesson in the distinction between world-building and just making up random stuff. Jexi (Rose Byrne) – an A.I. Phil, addicted to his phone, is forced to upgrade his mobile. Her powers are reminiscent of Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Microsoft's Cortana — all of which are playfully name-dropped in the film. But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi becomes jealous. Jexi rides its premise to the most predictable end: once Phil realizes he needs to ditch his phone addiction to experience life, Jexi follows him menacingly through all forms of technology: a taxicab display, a nearby ATM, an automated construction sign, and finally, a self-driving car. But as he becomes less dependent on his phone, Jexi’s artificial intelligence morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself, even if it means ruining his chances of finding success. Phil's fatal flaw is his timid, cautious approach to life; although Jexi turns his life around, it's unbelievable that a real person would continuously cower to their humanoid smart phone. “Jexi,” a comedy written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, does not explicitly position itself as a parody of “Her,” the poignant 2013 love … The person heaping it on him is his phone. It would be easier to buy Jexi’s more intentional absurdities if its reality wasn’t so elastic, stretching to accommodate poorly staged large-scale slapstick. Jexi is a life-ruining nightmarish concept that would burn you and everything you love to the ground. When his coworkers (Charlyne Yi and Ron Funches) invite him to play kickball after work, he declines under the guise that he already has plans. 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