In “Jexi,” the soon-to-be-released movie starring Adam Devine as protagonist Phil, Alexandra Shipp as love-interest Cate and Rose Byrne as title character Jexi, Phil struggles to figure out how to survive when the thing he loves most — his phone — takes over his life.
The movie opens with a comedic montage of Phil growing up over the course of what can be assumed is the 1990s and early 2000s. In the montage, Phil is first seen playing Snake on the classic Nokia 3310 at a restaurant, followed by several clips advancing through his adolescent years playing various phone games on different devices.
While the opening was the perfect set-up to draw the audience in, directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore grew beyond this hook through the rest of the movie. Phil’s relationship with his phone is quite hysterical right off the bat, using Apple’s Siri to order food, watch television and browse social media.
But after Phil’s cell breaks, he is forced to get a new phone with a different artificial intelligence called Jexi. Jexi proceeds to take over his life and control his decisions while Phil tries to figure out how to balance real world relationships with the virtual relationship to his phone.
Filled with goofy scenes and memorable quotes like, “That one makes me want to drop acid and fuck Bernie Sanders,” (no context needed), Lucas and Moore hit the nail on the head with this movie.
While many comedy directors try to force humor into scenes where it shouldn’t be present, “Jexi” manages to include humor organically in a seemingly realistic plot of what could happen if AI tried to become your friend.
While several R-rated scenes seemed to make some in The Marquee Cinema at Union South uncomfortable during the free screening Tuesday, the crowd consensus appeared to be generally positive as the movie provided an endless stream of laughs during its 84 minutes.
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The movie also features Kid Cudi and a scene involving phone sex, if you’re into either of those things. While the humor is definitely appropriate if you have some maturity, the movie is rated R so don’t be surprised when you see a full fledged “dick pic,” featuring Adam Devine.
In addition to Devine, Shipp and Byrne, the movie also stars Wanda Sykes and Michael Peña. “Jexi” opens in theaters nationwide Oct. 11.
