Review of This Is Where I Leave You (2014) by Spencer S — 26 Dec 2014

Based on the book by Jonathan Tropper (who also wrote the screenplay), this film concerns a family's reactionary response to the death of their patriarch. The four kids and their families move back in with their mother to sit Shiva, grieve, get back their roots, and come to grips with the way their lives panned out.

The greatest asset this film has lies in its great choice of casting. Fey, Bateman, Driver, and Stoll bounce off of each other like Super Balls, bantering well in every scene, and actually seeming like a real family.

Everyone fights, everyone loves, and everyone has their own opinion, making for a mostly sweet natured and silly ride. What I believe remains the main problem of the film is that it's based off a sprawling novel, which ties together about twenty different storylines in only an hour and a half, while the book was some 339 pages.

The film follows dozens of storylines without following many of them for more than a minute at a time. This under develops the story, the characters, and the dramedy of the film. This lends to what critics have said about this film being cliché ridden.

Because the characters aren't fully developed, and not enough backstory is given, they have to be simplified down to the most basic terms, and that drains the sentimentality right out of the film.

Otherwise entertaining, "This is Where I Leave You" remains classically sweet through its paper thin characters.