“This Is Where I Leave You” gives viewers a cheap laugh at a dysfunctional family, leaving the audience wanting a deeper connection with the plot.
“This is Where I Leave You” is based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper, who also developed the screenplay for the film.
The movie, which stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda and Corey Stoll, is a “dramedy” centered on a dysfunctional family that is forced to spend seven days together after their father’s death.
The movie is full of confusion and dysfunction between the characters.
From relationship affairs to pot-smoking brothers, this family is unable to avoid their constant social and individual problems.
The movie also runs into many deep issues that are relevant to societal problems in real life today.
While the plots could be helpful to audience members struggling with similar problems, director Shawn Levy does a less than perfect job finishing the story lines.
Every time a deep-rooted issue comes up, the problem is shut down with a joke or comedic moment.
This can be incredibly irritating for engaged audience members. The diversion of important issues makes it seem as if Levy is scared of capturing problematic issues head on.
Although this story is a little flat, the A-list cast does not disappoint. Jason Bateman plays the headstrong Judd Altman, who begins the endless road of issues by walking in on his wife having an affair with his boss. Bateman carries the lead role with a classic comedic style that many individuals can relate to.
Adam Driver plays the youngest of the Altman family, Phillip.
Although Driver is new to the acting world, he carries his performance like a professional that has been in the business for many years.
Driver provides the comedic savior within this production, and his character steals many scenes with his young smoldering charm.
Overall, this movie was less than impressive.
With such a stellar cast, the expectations were high, yet the actors can only carry so much of the production.
The heat of many moments is ruined with mediocre jokes that conflict with the intended depth of the movie.
Levy fails to establish a heart to heart moment with his audience, which leaves them craving the emotional pull that this movie deserves.
“This Is Where I Leave You” is full of good intentions, but falls short on almost all of them.