This Is Where I Leave You
Published 2015-03-07
Film info
- Title This Is Where I Leave You
- Director Shawn Levy
- Year 2014
- Run time 1hr 43m
- Genres Comedy, Drama
- Tagline Welcome home, get uncomfortable
- Cast Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schwartz
When their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. 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.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 2:05 | All the studio envy. |
| 2:37 | Walking into a house with a lit candle seems really tricky. |
| 5:49 | "What am I going to do, kill him?" |
| 7:44 | This might be the best family ever. |
| 11:40 | Seven days does seem like a long time. |
| 15:34 | She wrote a book based on her daughter's diary? Scandalous! |
| 16:07 | Ack, children. I could not deal with the mess. |
| 24:50 | "You're a nice guy but, let's face it, you're a little scary." |
| 34:47 | Loving Tina Fey and Jason Bateman. All the scenes with them, please. |
| 40:31 | Can I add this to my ice skating movie collection I wonder? |
| 43:36 | "Anything happens all the time." |
| 54:56 | Anti-depressants fix everything, it seems. |
| 56:34 | That's one of those moments where you realise your parents are human. |
| 59:56 | Love him still trying to light it under the sprinklers. |
| 1:03:45 | The car is an excellent place to hide. |
| 1:10:33 | "Oh, that's a nice feature." |
| 1:17:37 | Now the guy has to leg it on crutches. |
| 1:27:30 | Brilliant way to break up a fight. |
| 1:34:10 | "Does Cyndi Lauper have to be our song?" |
Thoughts
The setup for this one does feel a little contrived - you'll do things in tribute to your family, of course, but sit on a chair for seven days for a religion you don't really follow? Not sure.
But look past that and then it's a great film. Inter-connecting relationships all over the place, high drama, quips and just a general sense of sibling bickering that guides us through the week from hell. Oddly, I didn't really buy them as a family altogether, but whenever there were just two characters interacting, it was perfect. Tina Fey was a particular favourite.
Great story, some heartwrenching moments with the lighter side as well. Definitely recommended.
Rating: 5 / 5