Self Reliance: Is Jake Johnson's directorial debut on Netflix?

New Girl star Jake Johnson has made a name for himself when it comes to acting in movies and shows, and now he's ready to take on a new title. Director! The star's new comedy thriller, Self Reliance, is his directorial debut. So can you watch the production on Netflix?

Unfortunately, no. Self Reliance is not streaming on Netflix. That's because another streamer has exclusive rights to the movie. The production had a one-day release in theaters on Jan. 3, but now it's going to be available to a wider audience. Mark your calendars for Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 when the movie begins streaming on Hulu.

The streamer is one of the more complicated platforms out there in terms of just how many packages it offers. There's too many choices! For a full list of them all, head over to the platform's website. But to keep it short and sweet if you want a simple subscription to watch Self Reliance, then you can go with either Hulu (with ads) for $7.99/month or Hulu (no ads) for $17.99/month.

You can watch on Hulu by following these steps:

• Visit the Hulu sign up page
• Choose Hulu (with ads) or Hulu (no ads)
• Create an account
• Enter your chosen payment method
• Login to stream via your account
  

Jake Johnson on working with Anna Kendrick again

In speaking with our sister site Hidden Remote, Johnson shared that having friend and co-star Anna Kendrick on set while directing for the first time gave him a sense of comfort. The two have done three other movies together: Drinking Buddies, Digging for Fire, and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. Here's what he had to say:

"It was really nice to have her because she's also very talented. I didn't have to worry too much about her character. I knew she kind of had that done. I felt like the two big relationships of the movie for Tommy are obviously his relationship with Maddie (Kendrick), and then his relationship with James, Biff Wiff’s character. So once those two little love stories were kind of feeling solid with the actors, I felt a lot more confident."

The 90-minute film is centered around Tommy (Johnson), a "middle-aged man" who's invited to take part in a dark web reality show, per the synopsis. Assassins from all over the world will try to find and kill him for 30 days. But they can't come near as long as he's with someone. If Tommy is able to escape them for a month, he survives and wins the cash prize. And so, he goes on a hilarious journey of literally running for his life and finding an "unlikely team to help him survive."

When I spoke with Johnson on Hidden Remote, I told him the story gave me Squid Game vibes, but with comedy and character growth mixed in. And he agreed, wanting to make it a point that his goal was to make a film that people could enjoy.

"I think entertainment is important and pretty great. And so obviously the movie is about being around people, surrounding yourself, taking chances, and going for it while we're here. But the main message I really want to get across is, I hope people enjoy the ride."

Self Reliance starring Jake Johnson begins streaming Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 on Hulu.