Review of This Is Where I Leave You (2014) by Jeff B — 28 Sep 2014

In presenting the umpteenth tale of a homecoming rife with relative dysfunction in umpteen years, This is Where I Leave You paints an interesting family portrait but brings nothing new to the table save for a few keen performances and very little umpt, er, oomph. The Family Stone. Death at a Funeral. Home for the Holidays. Four Christmases. At least THIS movie had the decency to take place away from the holidays. With enough entries to warrant its own genre, flicks of this ilk pretty much follow the same pattern, unveiling unlikeable sibling and significant other after unlikeable sibling and significant other while generously gifting us with a semi-reasonable Everyman to latch onto. In this case, the honor falls upon perennial put-upon do-gooder Jason Bateman, who's given the thankless task of navigating us through the failings and fisticuffs of a family that came apart at the seams years ago but needs to deal with it now...hopefully with comedic results. The only laughs, however, come out of sympathy for the material. It's rather mishandled. Oh, there are quirky characters, situations, and revelations aplenty but the narrative struggles to feel unique in the undertow of numerous other such stories without the benefit of much verve to distinguish it. This is not to say that This is Where I Leave You leaves you completely déjà vued. Unlike most of the WASPy fams flapping their gums in flicks like this, the Altmans prove to be Jewish. Aside from going to temple once and trading barbs with a dweeby rabbi, however, this distinction doesn't define this particular clan. Nor should it. The characters' misadventurous lives should've at least played out even a bit differently than, say, the PG-13-rated Christmas Vacation. Instead, it's just another broad pratfall-laden helping of FUBAR family matters.

In this R-rated comedy, four grown siblings (Bateman, Fey, Adam Driver, Corey Stall) return to their childhood home for their fathers funeral, forced to live under the same roof with their over-sharing mother (Jane Fonda), an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens.

Director Shawn Levy handles the overstated family friendly comedy of The Pink Panther reboot and the Night at the Museum flicks exceedingly well but fails to apply a defter touch in relation to the adult material here. Nope, he just serves up R-rated material in the same heavy-handed manner he did with the rather dreadful The Internship. The ensemble cast boasts some impressive names but few throw any real sparks save for Bateman and Tina Fey as simpatico siblings. There's genuine warmth generated from their interactions, which can't be said for this Jonathan Tropper adaptation as a whole.

Bottom line: The Big Chill Pill.