[Movie Review] This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
Director: Shawn Levy
Writer: Jonathan Tropper (screenplay & novel)
Runtime: 103 min
Main Cast:- Jason Bateman as Judd Altman
- Tina Fey as Wendy Altman
- Jane Fonda as Hillary Altman
- Adam Driver as Phillip Altman
- Rose Byrne as Penny Moore
- Corey Stoll as Paul Altman
- Kathryn Hahn as Alice Altman
- Timothy Olyphant as Horry Callen
- Dax Shepard as Wade Beaufort
- Abigail Spencer as Quinn Altman
- Ben Schwartz as Rabbi Charles Grodner
Review: by Anthony and Lee
From the moment we saw the first trailer for This is Where I Leave You, we knew we wanted to see it. We are huge fans of both Tina Fey and Jason Bateman, and this dark comedy focusing on a dysfunctional family looked very promising.
This is Where I Leave You told the story of the Altman family, who came together to mourn and respect their patriarch’s final wish. Forced to sit a traditional Jewish Shiva, the children, each with their own emotional baggage in tow, returned to life under the same roof for the first time in ages.
What We Liked:
The acting, as we expected, was pretty darn good. There was an array of actors and actresses that paraded on and off the screen, including the surprisingly funny Dax Shepherd and Ben Schwartz as well as the serious yet lovable Timothy Olyphant and Rose Byrne. Of course, Jason Bateman was solid, but he was not one of the true stars by a wide margin.
Adam Driver, playing the irresponsible baby of the family, took to his role like a fish to water. While certainly no stranger to playing quirky characters, Driver managed to steer clear of the type-casting rut into which so many fall, where ones roles all blend into one performance. On the contrary, he brought a new depth to Phillip, showing both himself and the character to be round and dynamic.
Tina Fey was also in her element here, managing to be funny but complex at the same time. The plot line that followed her character and her first love, though underdeveloped, was one of the most intriguing in the film.
Finally, matching her role in the movie, Jane Fonda was the glue that held the ensemble cast together. Ultimately, her final plot twist was something you’ll read about later, in the “What We Didn’t Like” section, but it was certainly not because of her acting. The scenes between Fonda and Bateman were some of the most memorable, for a pair of very good reasons.
The acting would have been useless, as we well know, without a good script, but This Is Where I Leave You was fortunate to have the author of the book on which it was based serving as the writer of the script as well. This is probably the real reason the characters seemed to have such depth. At times, the dialogue seemed a bit over-scripted and unrealistic, but those times were few and far between.
The relationship development between the family members, however, was by and large the greatest thing about the movie. It was both touching and hilarious to watch the slightly estranged siblings interacting with each other, and their mother, and reconciling their differences.
What We Didn’t Like:
Our biggest issue with the movie was the underdeveloped plot lines. Because it was an ensemble cast and all the characters had their own issues to work through, the movie tried to go off in several different directions at once but only managed to bring a few to a satisfying end.
The “romance” between Jason Bateman and Rose Byrne was one of those that didn’t quite make it. While the end to their story was satisfying enough, everything that came before the end was muddled and unexplained. Byrne’s character was supposedly “always in love” with Bateman’s but there was no real background between them, at least none that was ever revealed.
Jane Fonda’s character’s surprise plot line came fully out of left field at the end and left much to be desired. There was a very rushed explanation of how it came about, and, other than a few hints that something wasn’t quite right with some characters, it was rather baseless. It seemed like a twist for a twist’s sake; completely unnecessary.
Finally, the biggest letdown was the lack of resolution to Tina Fey’s love story. It was instantly the most interesting side story, having the most depth, but it just kind of fell to pieces, leaving us wanting to know more.
Summary
This Is Where I Leave You was the kind of dysfunctional family comedy/drama that so many other movies try to be. It was funny, without trying too hard, and heartwarming all at the same time. Though it could have more satisfactorily resolved more of its side stories, it was still quite good.
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( votes)Images Courtesy of IMDB
