This Is Where I Leave You

Plot synopsis:
Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) finds out his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) has been having an affair with his boss Wade (Dax Shepard) for a year. After he moves out, Judd's sister Wendy (Tina Fey) calls to tell him their father Mort has died. The Altmans gather for the funeral at their mother's home where they reconnect with family friends Horry Callen (Timothy Olyphant), and his mother Linda (Debra Monk). Wendy is unhappy because her husband Barry (Aaron Lazar) is too busy with work. Judd reunites with his older brother Paul (Corey Stoll) and Paul's wife Annie (Kathryn Hahn), who had once been Judd's girlfriend. The youngest brother, Phillip (Adam Driver), arrives late with older, therapist girlfriend Tracy (Connie Britton) and interrupts the funeral.
The Altmans' mother, Hilary (Jane Fonda) tells her children their father wanted them to sit shiva (despite the fact that Mort was an atheist), presided over by the Altmans' childhood friend, rabbi Charles "Boner" Grodner (Ben Schwartz). Wendy knows about Judd's discovery of Quinn's infidelity, about which he avoids telling everyone else. Judd also reunites with Penny Moore (Rose Byrne), a girl who had a crush on him in high school.
During a family gathering, Wendy drunkenly badgers Judd to tell the truth about Quinn. Phillip laments being seen as the family screw-up, while also flirting with another girl while Tracy watches. Irritated, Judd blurts out that Quinn was cheating on him and he plans to divorce her. Quinn shows up the next day and reveals she's pregnant with Judd's child. It could not be Wade's child as he is sterile. Phillip finds out about the pregnancy and reveals this to the family.
The family goes to temple for a service where the brothers sneak out to smoke joints Judd found in his father's suit. Annie, upset that she and Paul haven't conceived, crawls into bed with Judd in hopes that he could get her pregnant, but he rejects her. Wendy visits Horry in his backyard, and expresses her remorse over being involved the accident that caused Horry's brain injury and then leaving him. A few days later, when her husband leaves for a conference, an upset Wendy sleeps with Horry. Being caught walking home in the morning by Judd, she tearfully confesses she will never love Barry the way she loved Horry. Judd spends the night with Penny, and then spends the day with her. But then Quinn calls him out of fear that she is having a miscarriage, and he admits to Penny that Quinn is pregnant. Judd gets to the hospital to be with Quinn, only for Wade to show up. The baby is fine and is determined to be a girl. Upon being asked to leave by the OB, Judd and Wade get into a fight in the waiting room. When Philip and Wendy arrive, Wendy punches Wade in the face. Upon leaving, Wade tells Judd he's not ready to be a step-dad and leaves Quinn.
The next day, Annie apologizes to Judd, tearfully confessing that she only wants a baby so badly and is so frustrated by her lack of progress with Paul. Judd replies that she should focus and remember the things she does have with Paul, the love they share and not let the need for a baby ruin her marriage. Paul walks in as Judd hugs her and assumes they were kissing. Paul chases and attacks Judd as Tracy leaves Phillip for being unfaithful, resulting in the three brothers fighting. Hillary silences everyone by kissing Linda passionately in front of all the spectators and informs everyone that she and Linda are in love, something Mort was happy with. She admits the Shiva was her idea, in order to come out to all her children at once and get them all to reconnect. The four siblings are shocked at first, but see their mother is happy and accept it.
One night, when the power goes out in the basement (where Judd is staying), Judd attempts to fix the problem in the power box, only to be given an electrical shock that knocks him out. He dreams of a memory with his father, where Judd had fallen down from his bike as a child, and his father comforted him and pressed his forehead to his, a characteristic sign of affection Mort used for his children. Judd wakes up crying, finally fully mourning for his father.
Judd meets Penny at the skating center, apologizing for not being honest. Wendy leaves with her two kids, waving to Horry from the car, tearing up as she lets him go again. The brothers make amends, and Paul offers Phillip a job at their father's sporting goods store. Judd decides to quietly slip out, and after loading his luggage in his car, steals Phillip's Porsche 997. The final shot is of Judd driving on the highway to Maine, a place he has always wanted to go.

Tags: romantic, flashback

Review:
But This Is Where I Leave You is without a doubt Levy's most engaging, full-bodied effort yet: a rich, bitter, quirky film about love and family that teeters along the thin, broken lines dividing life and death, and comedy and tragedy.Judd Altman (Bateman) is having the worst year of his life.
Once there, Judd and his siblings - driven Wendy (Fey), stern Paul (Stoll), and quirky Phillip (Driver) - must abide by their father's dying wishes, as relayed by their mom Hilary (Fonda): they are to sit shiva for seven days, a week in which secrets are revealed, tensions run high, and love sneaks through amidst all the lies and loss.It's a situation rich with potential, one that could easily have taken the path of high melodrama or descended into outright buffoonery.
"You're idiots," Wendy declares at one point to her brothers, "But you're my idiots" - a sentiment that most would agree applies particularly well to one's siblings.Even the supporting characters are mostly well-served by the script, whether it's widowed next-door neighbour Linda (Monk), mother of Horry and keeper of a secret that will shock the Altman children when it's revealed; or Phillip's new fiancée Tracy (Britton), a sexy, intelligent therapist who knows just what a big mistake she's made in falling for the Altman family screw-up.
Poor Byrne tries her best, and has a sweet chemistry with Bateman, but her character feels less like a genuine romantic option than the wishful thinking of a writer who's spent considerably more time fleshing out his other characters.In news surprising to no one, Levy's ensemble cast is an absolute joy to watch in action.
Fonda is luminous, carrying off the comedy - and her prosthetic breasts - with remarkable grace, while creating a picture of a tough, sexually progressive woman with plenty of depth and love for her children.Like the fractured, dysfunctional family at its heart, This Is Where I Leave You isn't perfect.
I love how every character has it's own unique differences, it's like a family not made for each other, but completely lost without each other.The ending is just undeniably great, it's one of the better movies I have seen in a long time.
And it was all realistic though exaggerated as all movies are.As always I loved Tina Fey, and found Jane Fonda interesting in her odd but very good acting technique and presentation.It was, in a word, poignant.I recommend it..
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.
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.
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..
clichés are everywhere in this completely unfunny comedy-Tina Fey Adam Driver and others in this cast are good comedic actors but the script gives them no option but to grin and bare it and collect a paycheck...i could not make it to the end of this mediocre exercise in clichéd tedium- this movie has been done many times before-the awkward family reunion-do not waste your time...Bateman was good in his last film about an adult who enters a spelling bee but here he is just another forlorn character...and guess what-the comedic gold of Tina Fey is nowhere to be seen-it amazes me that movies like this actually get made-Rose Byrne -was boring as was Jane Fonda who is now forging an unfortunate career choice playing sassy older women...if you really want comedy watch The Kroll Show or Broad City or even Project Mindy-this movie was a waste of money and time....
There was no reason for her and Bateman's character to be attracted to each other and they spent almost no time together so the way things unfolded between them made no sense.Yet it was entertaining and funny enough for me to keep watching, not feel bored and generally be happy that I'd watched it.7/10.
Additionally, she informs them that her late husband requested that they all sit shiva for seven days, which in Jewish tradition has the family remaining together in mourning and greeting any family and friends who wish to visit to express their condolences.For me, watching this repugnant cast of characters for seven days seemed like seven years and became incredibly torturous to continue.
Over the course of this story Bateman's character Judd will come to terms with things in his family, but more-so with his wife's infidelity (and then a pregnancy, aye) and then a possible budding relationship with a girl he used to know (Rose Byrne).
Only Bateman and maybe, arguably, sorta, Fonda's matriarch have more than a dimension.Which, when you have actors like Tina Fey (she plays kinda helpful, kinda a dope) and Courtney Stoll (so good on House of Cards, here reduced to 'I'm frustrated and angry and RAWR!) and then Adam Driver.
It's nice to see the dramatic side workable and have some lasting power during the film, and Bateman is able to find a solid character to work through in that, but it's not enough to make it a good movie.
In a strange coincidence just a couple of weeks after this movie would come out, also by Warner brothers, The Judge would appear in theaters and have a similar premise and with less characters (that's another thing, TOO many characters, TOO much quirk) fared better.Bottom line though, if I'm going to watch Jason Bateman surrounded by a family that is all over the place and half the time genuine and the other time totally plastic and dumb, two words instead: Arrested Development.
In this case, This is Where I Leave You does both, not giving its characters enough plausible humanity and, instead, trades pragmatic routes for character-driven scenarios for brazen comedy or overly-sappy drama, making for a film that holds about as much emotional maturity as a satire about the topics of family and grief.The film centers around the Altman family, who are united following the death of their patriarch, who's dying wish was for the family to sit Shiva, a Jewish tradition meaning that everyone in the family must live under the same roof for the next week, so we are told by Hillary (Jane Fonda), the Altman's mother.
The four Altman siblings, who are all emotionally damaged or troubled in some way, find this to be a daunting task for many reasons: Judd (Jason Bateman), for one, has recently witness his wife having sex with his boss, Wendy (Tina Fey) has a marriage that is failing due to her husband's frequent absence, Phillip (Adam Driver) is an immature playboy unwilling to give up his childish ways, and Paul (Corey Stoll), while seeming like the only sibling who has his ducks in order, still finds ways to be too confrontational with his siblings or too hardened in his own way of thinking.
Together, this family must tolerate each other for a week to adhere to their dying father's wish, and we must endure one-hundred and forty-three minutes of their comedic and dramatic zaniness.Instantly, anyone who paid attention to film last year has visions of August: Osage County dancing in their head, a far better and more elaborate drama that won me over because of how invested it was in character relations and dialog.
Everything else, given the presence of Adam Driver's obnoxious Phillip character and Jane Fonda's equally obnoxious and annoying Hillary, is rooted in goofy comedy, which goes far beyond my personal threshold for family zaniness.When the film wants to turn a bit more emotional, Tropper makes it interesting enough, at least giving these characters more to think about and place into perspective.
The more we cycle to find the broadly-drawn humor of the story, the strange characters in their own peculiar situations, and the emotional manipulation that could be crafted out of the material, the more we feel like we're watching an extended pilot for a new fall primetime program than a theatrical film.Again, This is Where I Leave You has the partial-saving grace of multiple talented people working all in one picture, with everyone doing a pretty commendable job, even if their characters are partially annoying.
However, take a step back and look at the film that encompasses these fine actors and you'll see one filled with unsubtle emotions and lackluster comedy, making for a painfully uneven ride through what could've been a hearty depictions of the commonalities of family.Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, and Abigail Spencer.
Dysfunctional family antics get taken to the extreme in "This Is Where I Leave You," the story of four adult siblings who reunite in their childhood home after the death of their father, whose last wishes were for them to sit shiva, the Jewish custom of staying together as a family for seven days following the funeral to mourn and be comforted by family and friends.
But the Altmans are far from religious, and each family member has his or her shtick along with problems in their personal life, and all together they drive each other bonkers in a perpetual cycle of farcical melodrama.The Altmans are a true all-star family: Jane Fonda plays the matriarch, and her children are played by Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll ("House of Cards") and Adam Driver ("Girls").
"Leave You" is an absolutely over-the-top mess of a dark slapstick comedy trying desperately to be an introspective indie dramedy.The main character is Bateman's Judd, who weeks before getting the call about his dad walked on his wife sleeping with his boss (Shepard), but it doesn't seem so bad alongside his siblings' problems.
His sister, Wendy (Fey), has two young kids and a jerk husband, his older brother, Paul (Stoll), is having trouble getting his wife (Hahn) — an ex-girlfriend of Judd's — pregnant, and his younger brother, Phillip (Driver), is dating his much older therapist (Britton) who is just like their mother.
They make this movie infinitely more bearable because they're funny, quality actors, but they don't tip the scales from "watchable" to "good."There's no breathing space for any of the characters and their stories, which sucks them dry of any realism and makes the whole film seem completely ludicrous.
Unfortunately, This Is Where I Leave You proved to me yet again that my faith in romantic comedies is unfounded most of the time, and only seeks to enrage and sadden me.The film centres around the character of Judd Altman (Jason Bateman), who is called back to his childhood home after the death of his father, all whilst his job and marriage simultaneously break down.
His mother, Hilary Altman (Jane Fonda), manages to convince Judd and the rest of his siblings, all of whom are currently experiencing employment and relationship issues, to stay at home and embrace each others company; to reminisce about their late father, and to engage in supposedly 'funny' ordeals alongside each other.The summary above seems greatly encouraging; it seems funny and entertaining, and a good funeral comedy is always appreciated.
His mother (Jane Fonda) reveals his father's final wish to Judd and his siblings (played by Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Corey Stoll): to live as a united family under one roof again.
Bateman is the most likable member of the Altman family and probably the most believable (and one of the few characters who didn't annoy me).Sadly, there are only a couple of moments in this film that are either amusing or tolerable and for the most part this is a loud, irritating, and generally unbearable affair from start to finish..
Either way, it's a waste of your time and the talents of its assembled cast with the net result being that one wants to leave it within the film's first hour.The formulaic premise: Another dysfunctional group gathers, once again for funeral purposes, to show the underlying conflicts deep within the American Jewish family.
Supposedly.Now meet the family: Judd Altman (Jason Bateman), recently separated from his wife and sibling to Wendy (Tina Fey), herself in an unhappy marriage, and their oldest brothers, Paul (Corey Stoll), desperately trying to become a father, plus youngest brother Phillip (Adam Driver), the token black sheep of the family.
What makes Leave even more frustrating in this concern is that there are moments that work in the film, short bursts of genuine heart and humour that are quickly smothered out by another outlandish development that encircles our Altman family members.Our central figure here is Jason Bateman's Judd, a man who is facing the prospect of divorce and fatherhood and perhaps a reacquainted love with childhood sweetheart Penny, played by Australia's new favourite Rose Byrne.
From Jane Fonda's plastic surgery loving matriarch Hillary, Tina Fey's troubled sister Wendy, Adam Driver in yet another film where he plays Adam Driver and even Justified's Timothy Olyphant as brain damaged Horry, this is one family you'll be glad to see disappear into the credits.This is Where I Leave You has some moments, there are laughs and a few nice ponderings upon life, love and all in between yet it's so unappealingly unoriginal that it's very hard to recommend.
It's basically the story of four siblings - Judd (Bateman), Wendy (Fey), Phillip (Driver) & Paul (Stoll) - and how they, along with their mum (Fonda), deal with their father's death.
Bateman does act the same in a lot of his movies so I wasn't that surprised about his performance and it was good to see Fonda back on the big screen playing a comedic role as the head of the family.
Budget: $20million Worldwide Gross: $41millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their emotional comedy/dramas about a dysfunctional family who are brought together after there fathers death.
Jason Bateman was the most redeeming thing/character in this movie, and Tina Fey did a pretty good job too.
Mr. Levy provided the popular and entertaining A Night at the Museum, as well as a long list of simple minded movies that didn't prepare him for the depth of Tropper's story.The four "kids" are played by Corey Stoll, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Adam Driver.
If you think that's an outstanding cast, note that also appearing are Timothy Olyphant (Fey's brain-damaged former lover), Rose Byrne (she always lusted after Bateman), Dax Shepard (sleeps with Bateman's wife played by Abigail Spencer), Ben Schwartz as an oddball Jewish rabbi, and Debra Monk (the helpful neighbor and more).Obviously the issue with so many characters and talented actors is that screen time is limited.
I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good movie, be it comedy, drama, family etc.
Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide-driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.'Jason Bateman truly stars in this film – solid, making all the permutations that each of the characters demonstrate come together.
I find the film resonates within me and have to give it some thought before I can write a review.Such was the case with THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU.I knew it was a movie about a dysfunctional family that gathers at the time of the death of the patriarch.
I knew Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Timothy Olyphant, Rose Byrne, Connie Britton, and Jane Fonda would be great.
Saw "This Is Where I Leave You" starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Rose Bryne, Corey Stoll, and Adam Driver at AMC Theatres last night.
Being together under one roof again they are forced to face not only their grief about the loss of their dad but also to come to terms with the problems and issues of both their past and present.It is a decent dramatic comedy about families, love and life, with a fantastic cast and fair amount of funny moments, yet it does fall short of the depth the book is able to reach in terms of character development.
The scenes she shares with Timothy Olyphant are very touching.This Is Where I Leave You is a very typical dysfunctional family film, so if you don't like those types of movies, you're not going to like this one.
This is Where I Leave You failed to get much critical or box-office attention despite a talented cast which includes Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda and Adam Driver.
In the movie "This is Where I Leave You" the Altman children (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, and Adam Driver) gather in their childhood home to see out their father's final wishes following his passing.
I would definitely recommend this movie for anyone that is looking for a funny film filled with loads of family drama..
When their father passes away, four grown siblings, return home to sit Shiva with their mother in "This is Where I Leave You," from 2014.The film stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, and Timothy Olyphant.