This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

Directed by Shawn Levy · Drama, Comedy

Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Abigail Spencer, Dax Shepard, Ben Schwartz, Aaron Lazar, Debra Monk, Cade Lappin, Will Swenson, Carol Schultz, Kevin McCormick, Evan Wadle, Olivia Oguma, Barbara Spiegel, Gerry Vichi, Cheryl Stern, Beth Leavel, Carly Brooke, Michael Bryan French, Lance Roberts, Carolyn Seiff, Brahm Schenkman, Mia Fram Davidson, Crystal Anne Dickinson, Kenneth De Abrew, Oakes Fegley

IHBM9Excellent

When their father passes away, four grown, world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and are requested -- with an admonition -- to stay there together for a week, along with their free-speaking mother and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways.

My review · Reviewed 12/15/2020

This is a classic example of where a movie might appear on my "favorite" list but not necessarily my "best" list. Is the movie perfect? No. Have we seen a lot of this before? Of course - it's hard to come up with something completely original when there hundreds of movies made every year. It doesn't matter. Sometimes there is something about a movie that just sucks you in and doesn't let you go. This movie had such an effect because the quality of the acting was phenomenal. All of the actors seemed to understand that there needed to be an understated tone to the characters and nobody does that better than Jason Bateman. The film is first and foremost a drama and because of the understated approach to the movie the comedic parts were very funny yet did not take away from the depiction of broken people inside of a broken family. There is a heart in this movie that is undeniable. Probably the highest compliment that I can pay it is that I was ready to watch it again the moment it ended and that almost never happens to me.

favorite, indie