Would you take the chance at winning a million dollars from a dark web reality TV show if Andy Samberg was the one who invited you to play? Jake Johnson apparently would, as we'll see him do in the upcoming comedy Self Reliance, one of the first 2024 new movies that audiences can enjoy.
Johnson, who has made a name for himself in comedic roles in New Girl, Safety Not Guaranteed, Drinking Buddies and voicing one of the many Spider-Men in the Spider-Verse universe, is pulling triple duty in Self Reliance: starring, writing and directing, with the comedy marking his first time directing a feature movie.
Here is everything that you need to know about Self Reliance, from where and when it is going to be playing to who's joining Johnson in the cast and more.
Self Reliance release date
Self Reliance is a Hulu original movie, with it set to premiere on the US streaming service on Friday, January 12. However, the movie is going to get a one-night-only special screening at AMC Theaters.
According to Variety, the studio behind Self Reliance, Neon, is releasing the movie in 225 North American theaters on Wednesday, January 3. In addition to the movie, audiences will be shown 10 extra minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and a discussion between Johnson and his New Girl co-star, Lamorne Morris.
It's unclear right now when Self Reliance may be available in the UK.
It has been a bit of a wait for Self Reliance for general movie fans, as the movie was first screened as part of the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival.
Self Reliance cast
In the movie, Jake Johnson plays Tommy, the middle-aged man who attempts to win a million dollars from the dark web game. In addition to the previously mentioned roles, Johnson has starred in No Strings Attached, 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, Let's Be Cops, Jurassic World, Win It All and The Mummy. More recently he starred in the TV show Minx and appeared in History of the World Part II.
The rest of the Self Reliance cast includes Anna Kendrick (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), Natalie Morales (No Hard Feelings), GaTa (Dave), Emily Hampshire (Schitt's Creek), Mary Holland (The Afterparty season 2), former NBA player Boban Marjanović, Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Wayne Brady (The Good Fight) and Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as himself.
Self Reliance plot
Jake Johnson wrote the original script for Self Reliance, which sees him star as Tommy, a middle-aged man who gets invited by Andy Samberg to win a million dollars by starring in a dark web reality TV show where assassins from all over the world attempt to kill him for 30 days. But they can't kill him if he's not entirely alone. This leads Tommy to accept and recruit an unlikely team to help him survive.
Self Reliance trailer
Watch the official trailer for Self Reliance directly below, which sees Johnson's Tommy do whatever he can not to be alone:
Self Reliance reviews
Having screened at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2023, Self Reliance already has a handful of reviews. As of December 20, it has a "Fresh" score of 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics seem to agree that it is an ambitious swing from Johnson, though they are a bit more split on how successful he pulls it off.
Jake Johnson directing credits
While this marks Jake Johnson's first time directing a movie, he does have some experience directing having helmed an episode of New Girl during its run (New Girl season 5 episode 5, "Bob & Carol & Nick & Schmidt," if you’re curious).
Johnson does have more credits as a writer, with him having written the movies Digging for Fire, Win It All and Ride the Eagle, all of which he also starred in.
