This is Where I Leave You - Movie Screening

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This film opens with the story of Judd Altman (Jason Bateman), we all know his character, the guy who looks and acts like he has it all figured out, but who’s about to find out nothing is actually as it seems. Is there anything new to this particular Judd Altman though?

When we first meet Judd, he’s just about to discover that his wife Quinn (Abigail Spencer) is cheating on him with his sleazeball boss, and has been for quite some time. Wade Beaufort (Dax Shepard) is a shock jock deejay, and is quite easily the worst possible person that Quinn could engage in a little extramarital action with. But things are about to get worse for Judd, even as they get better for the audience.

This film, based on Jonathan Tropper’s novel of the same name, This Is Where I Leave You explores what happens after the rug is pulled out from underneath this particular Judd Altman. The film overall does a horrible job of telling Judds story and rather focuses on telling stories about all the Altmans as they handle tragedy together.

Time passes strangely in This Is Where I Leave You, but Judd’s beard growth and crappy apartment indicate that he and Quinn have been separated for awhile by the time the next upheaval strikes him. Judd’s dad is dead – explained by a wailing Tina Fey: “DAD IS DEAD!” Judd needs to go home to sit shiva with his entire family. This is a great time to keep the secret of his impeding divorce to himself, right?

The Altman clan isn’t a very happy one and slamming all these miserable pieces together for forced family time doesn’t seem like the best way to make anyone feel better. At least the cast exhibits a strong familial chemistry – Bateman and Fey are especially good at occupying the lived in familiarity of people who know each other best but maybe don’t see each other enough – and the Altmans at large are extraordinarily engaging to watch pick and pluck at each other. As Phillip, the youngest Altman and bonafide baby, (Adam Driver) gets the majority of the film’s best lines, and he delivers them with the kind of spark and pop that the actor brings to all his roles
 
I found myself connecting with the Altman family on a different level, remembering the fights I had with my brother growing up, nearly brought to tears throughout the film – happy and sad. And yet This Is Where I Leave You has enough modest charms to keep it chugging right along, including a smattering of genuinely emotional sequences and plenty of jocular jokes and gags.
 
The film received mix reviews from top critics, but perhaps they all agree with one thing – it was funny.