This is Where I Leave You
Doesn’t it always seem like the worst happens at exactly the wrong time? For the Altman clan, that is very much the case when father Mort passes away after a long bout with cancer. His wife (Jane Fonda, a feisty delight) has told their four children that their father, despite being an atheist, wants them to sit Shiva, to receive mourners, for seven days. Can they survive one another for so long? For Judd (Jason Bateman), the odds aren’t good, since his wife just cheated on him with his boss (Dax Shepard), meaning losing his wife and job in one swoop.
The vulgarity in the film, adapted by Jonathan Tropper from his novel, may seem surprising considering director Shaun Levy’s credits include the “Night at the Museum” films, “The Pink Panther” remake, and “Real Steel,” but that’s definitely an advantage he utilizes along with his cast, starting with Bateman and Tina Fey as Altman sister Wendy (whose own marriage is rocky), and including Adam Driver and Corey Stoll as Phillip and Paul, respectively. The siblings have issues that lead to difficult moments, especially when old disputes (like Judd having a relationship with Paul’s now-wife Annie (Kathryn Hahn) before she and Paul got together) come to the surface, but there are wonderful moments of bonding like when Judd happens to find a couple of joints in one of their father’s old jackets, and the siblings sneak out of the house for drinks. This wouldn’t work if it weren’t for the over-qualified cast of comedic talent that populates the film, not to mention side characters like Connie Britton’s therapist (who is with former patient Phillip); Timothy Olyphant’s Horry (a family friend who suffered a serious brain injury years before, which makes for one of the best aspects of the film seeing Olyphant and Fey work off each other); and Rose Byrne’s Penny, an usual former classmate who helps Judd figure himself out with his life in shambles. The film really hit home with my mom and I, who watched it a few days after the first “anniversary” of my father’s passing, but it’s funny and touching enough to where it would have an impact regardless of the circumstances of watching it, even if it does fall short of the inspired lunacy and poignancy of “Death at a Funeral,” when all is said and done.
