Review: This is Where I Leave You

-
Dysfunctional family meets again at funeral.

This has been done time and time again. The only thing that makes films like this worth it is their casts, and luckily this particular film succeeds on that front.

After their father passes away, a mother (Jane Fonda) tells her four adult children that his dying wish was for them to remain under the same roof together for seven days. They've been slightly preoccupied with their own lives, and this is the first time they've been together in awhile. They consist of Judd (Jason Bateman) whose just walked in on his wife having sex with his boss. Wendy (Tina Fey) in an unhappy marriage who becomes full of regrets when she's faced with an old flame. Paul, (Corey Toll) whose struggling to conceive with his wife, Annie. (Kathryn Hahn) And Phillip (Adam Driver) the much younger family fuck up.

The film is incredibly predictable. There are very few things that happen that you couldn't guess within the first 10 minutes. The difference here is that the cast has so much chemistry, it can kind of be forgiven. There are some very heavy moments, but also some light hearted and down right funny ones. The R rating definitely helps this film.

This is Where I Leave You won't win any awards, or show up on any best lists, but it's still a decent watch, if only for a rental. Plus, Jason Bateman is really becoming a hell of an actor, and he gives the stand out performance here. Driver and Fey also had a really tender moment that was probably my favorite in the film. 

Recommended: Yes

Grade: C+

Memorable Quote: "No, but I'm an expert on you." - Phillip (Adam Driver)

Comments

  1. Candice FrederickSeptember 22, 2014 at 9:24 PM

    yeah...i figured as much :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 23, 2014 at 6:40 AM

      You're good at predicting the outcome of movies, I've noticed. lol

      Delete
  2. UnknownSeptember 22, 2014 at 10:03 PM

    It's too bad this is so predictable. With this premise and cast, it had a lot of potential.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 23, 2014 at 6:40 AM

      Yeah, but it doesn't hurt the film too much. There are a few surprises.

      Delete
  3. Angela's Anxious LifeSeptember 22, 2014 at 10:29 PM

    Oh wow a C+!! This actually looked like a great feel good movie to me. I will for sure what for HBO then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 23, 2014 at 6:39 AM

      I guess it's just not my kind of movie, but I really love the cast!

      Delete
  4. Big Screen Small WordsSeptember 23, 2014 at 6:56 AM

    I was expecting it to be great (I loved the novel), but I'm still seeing this for the cast (that's one great cast!). I'm just not going to keep my hopes up. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2014 at 3:35 PM

    Disappointed, but I figured this would happen...it's such a common movie theme these days--you're right :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 23, 2014 at 9:49 PM

      At least the actors are good. Bateman, Fey, Hahn, I even liked Driver, and I want to hate him because of Girls. lol

      Delete
  6. m.brownSeptember 28, 2014 at 9:39 PM

    Bateman is quietly (though steadily) becoming as bankable as anyone. For me, this one screams Redbox!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 29, 2014 at 12:12 AM

      It's definitely a rental, but you're right. He's getting better and better.

      Delete
  7. JoshDecember 2, 2014 at 2:38 PM

    Yeah, I was a little letdown, but the cast is good. Definitely worth a rental.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 3, 2014 at 7:00 AM

      I think I went to it on $1 movie day, so I'm glad I didn't waste full price admission on this.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by, let's talk movies!
(comments are moderated to reduce spam)

Popular posts from this blog

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

-
Image
Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer.  Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending. It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow.. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing ...
Read more

Indie Gems: Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

-
Image
Passionate about your profession? I had never heard of this film until it ended up on one of Jason's favorite horror movie lists around Halloween. It immediately sounded interesting to me, so of course I threw it in my Netflix queue. (and if I'm just now watching it after adding it around Halloween, you know how ridiculous my queue is) Taylor (Angela Goethals) is a journalist who, along with a film crew decides to follow around a serial killer named Leslie Vernon. (Nathan Baesel) He plans on doing the typical slasher thing - getting a bunch of drunk teens in an abandoned house and knocking them off one by one. He gets advice from a retired serial killer, Eugene (Scott Wilson) and is threatened by a man who's on to him, Doc Holloran (Robert Englund) Taylor and crew are there capturing it all. Leslie Vernon is fucking hilarious to start with, and clearly very passionate about what he does. He tells Taylor all of his secrets and can barely contain his excitemen...
Read more

My Favorite Movie Youtube Channels

-
Image
Starting around 2018, I started watching Youtube for more than just movie trailers or music videos whenever a new one dropped. Now I'm in full blown subscription mode and don't bat an eyelash at watching a Youtube video that's over an hour long. I watch Youtube for a few different categories of content, but one of them that I love most is movie/TV essays and commentary, and that's what I'm going to talk about today. Below is a list of my favorite movie related Youtube channels. Let me know if you're familiar with them too, or if you have any you'd like to recommend to me.  Double Toasted - I'm honestly surprised this channel isn't bigger. I first came across Korey and Martin when they reviewed War for the Planet of the Apes a few months before it hit theaters and I thought they were hysterical. While their full length videos stream on Twitch, they often upload their movie reviews and commentary on youtube and they're always hilarious. They've...
Read more