This Is Where I Leave You

I'm no movie critic or film analyst but i do believe Jason Bateman is one of the best actors going around today. His ability to balance the serious and the comedic is genius level. The movie itself was good. I don't normally watch these types of movies but with COVID i think I've watched ever bloody movie ever made and this one was next cab off the rank. I'm glad i watched it.

Not much to tell about this movie. Really.

The premise, you've seen it a million times. The members of a family (I let you to judge if it is unconventional or not) are get together in their hometown because of a funeral.

Movies like this could be comedies, dramas, even thrillers. Most of the times though, is about reconciliation between the members of the family, and re-ignition of old flames from their childhood.

This is most definitely a comedy. There are some dilemmas to deal with, and a few emotional surprises but, although strong, are presented in a fun way.

And there is a lot of fun in this movies, mainly because of the chemistry of some experienced TV actors who can play roles like these in their sleep. Despite some forced clichés the movie is easy to watch. Not boring at all.

Jane Fonda looks surprisingly good for her 77 years (she was also in The Newsroom recently). Maybe there is message there for a healthy way of living for the rest of us! Overall: Not Boring. Starts well and continues like that until the very end. Check it out.

From the novel by Jonathan Tropper, This is Where I leave You is the story of how a dysfunctional family gets together for a week to conduct the Jewish ritual of sitting Shiva for seven days after the passing of their father, for whom this was his dying wish. Judd, played by Jason Bateman, is fresh off the shocking revelation that his wife has been cheating on him with his boss, while his 3 siblings are wonderful mess of their own problems. The mother, played by Jane Fonda, is an over sharing woman who published a book over 25 years earlier about their childhoods and their family secrets. For her, nothing is secret but for the adult children, the book stands as an obvious lasting scar.

After having read all of Jonathan Tropper's novels, it is hard to avoid the thought that they seem to have been written for the screen. His dialog, his wisdom, his humor and outrageous situations have always seemed destined to be made into films. When I saw that This is Where I Leave You was to become a film, I knew that if nothing else, it would reflect many of the same elements that make his fiction so much fun.

What I guess I didn't count on was the fact that while this is a very solid movie, it still exposes the difficulty of adaptation. Much of the wisdom and humor of the book must be conveyed in a series of one on one conversations between characters, which, after a while start to feel a little exhausting. Tropper, who did the screenplay himself, chose to stay away from doing flashbacks to convey back story, hoping to work the relevant information into the plot. It is not a bad choice, but it does deprive the audience of some of the information that we would like to know: like what exactly happened to neighbor/semi-adopted child Horry that caused him to be brain damaged? It is referenced but never fully explained, which would seem important because of the apparent role the Tina Fey character had in it. I can only think that maybe some bit of dialog somewhere was cut out of the final edit. The bit at the beginning with the birthday cake was underplayed in comparison to what happened in the book—probably not a terrible choice, though I might have enjoyed seeing the whole sequence end with something more explosive.

Still, This Is Where I Leave You had some great moments and the story and performances carried the day. Jason Bateman as Judd is a great everyman; Adam Driver wins an MVP for his role as the goof-up brother, Phillip; Corey Stoll as Paul, the brother who holds down the fort for the others yet has his manhood challenged at every turn; Kathryn Hahn as Judd's Ex and Paul's Current (awkward!) ; Jane Fonda is convincing as the overbearing mother; Tina Fey as the alcoholic sister; Rose Byrne as Judd's hometown love interest, Penny Moore and Connie Britton as the goof-up brother's older woman--all perform the admirable job of making this rather dark comedy enjoyable.

This film was actually funny, but not in a slap-sticky juvenile way. It was a comedy for grown ups in that it dealt with themes that are applicable to 30 and 40-somethings, such as death of a parent, fertility, running a business, divorce, etc., but it was not a heavy film in that it was not a dark comedy. The father who died as the premise for it was never presented to the audience, which keeps his passing from being a sad event and allows for the levity at his funeral to be appreciated. The film generally seems to focus the most of Bateman's character and his relationships with others, but he carries that role well. In fact, I thought this performance was one of his finest in quite some time. Tina Fey was great in it too. I thought she was just a comedian, but she can act too! (Is there noting she can't do?) Overall, this film is worth seeing and is a powerful yet lighthearted journey in the interplay between siblings and the event that all 30 & 40 somethings will face at some point: the loss of a parent. If this film doesn't get you thinking about your relationship with your family members, then nothing will. Not to worry, the family in this film has enough dysfunction to make you feel better about your own.

While many have claimed this title does not offer much that the others of this particular genre do, I have to disagree. This is a heartwarming story with genuine dialog between characters. Some of these conversations and interactions I have experienced firsthand. The cinematography captures the specific details that both add to the dialog and allow you to pick up more the second time around. The acting is very believable albeit a little over emphasized for comedy at times. The first time I saw this I had wished they rewrote a few of the lines, but after my second watch they seem fitting for the character and what they were going through at the time. I really did not like Phillip, and now I have come to realize he is that juvenile person frequently found in families. I approached this film without any prior knowledge of it and was pleasantly surprised. I concede it was not amazing, and given the cast list may spark high expectations for some, but going into any movie that way will leave you disappointed.