I’ve been anticipating This Is Where I Leave You since I first saw its trailer. The story carries a high amount of emotional appeal, the laughs appear to be well-deserved and the book upon which it’s based it praised. I can’t say how it matches the book, but I’m glad to say that the film is solid.
Jason Bateman leads the ensemble cast as Judd Altman, the middle son in a family of four kids. His life seems to be perfect, but after leaving work early to surprise his wife (Abigail Spencer) on her birthday, he catches her in bed with his chauvinistic radio personality boss (Dax Shepard). Without seeing it coming, Judd’s perfectly planned and organized life is ripped out from under him. After a few reclusive and sulky weeks, Judd’s sinks even lower when his sister Wendy (Tina Fey) calls to break the news that their father has passed away. Honoring the final wishes of their late dad, Judd and Wendy head to the home they grew up in to spend seven days of mourning with their mother (Jane Fonda) and older and younger brothers (Corey Stoll, Adam Driver).
In 2007, Frank Oz directed a wonderful comedy that feels as if it could be a sister film to This Is Where I Leave You. It’s called Death at a Funeral. (Don’t make the mistake of seeing the awful American remake.) This Is Where I Leave You mirrors the same genuine dysfunctional family feel of Death at a Funeral, only without the farcical elements. An underlying somewhat dark tone of real familial relationships exists beneath the surface, but serves a great purpose by dishing up characters that anyone can connect with. Featuring a fairly large ensemble cast playing a group of characters with an array of life circumstances, there’s at least one character than anyone can connect with given his/her own personal circumstances.
The biggest flaw with This Is Where I Leave You is director Shawn Levy’s ability to randomly confuse the tone just moments after completely nailing it. Everything will seem to be moving so well that you’ll be baffled as to how he can screw it up so quickly. Fortunately, those moments don’t occur too often.
I love a good dramedy. And while This Is Where I Leave You is mildly flawed, I’m still a fan. What it gets right, it get’s really right. The characters are easily the best aspect of the film. Not only does the principal cast hit the bullseye, but so do the supporting actors (Rose Bryne, Timothy Olyphant, Cathryn Hahn and Connie Britton). If you’re a mature adult who can handle some mature drama and comedy, then don’t miss This Is Where I Leave You.
(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)
