This Is Where I Leave You

While comedies will always be my favorite genre, the combination of comedy and drama is usually carried out in a somewhat realistic way--taking people's problems, dysfunctions and issues and bringing them to a head where by film's end will hopefully teach one something. Case in point with "This Is Where I Leave You" takes you on this roller coaster ride frought with dysfunction amidst an obvious love for one another is what this troubled family is made of.

When their father passes away, four grown siblings, Judd, Wendy, Phillip and Paul Altman (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver and Corey Stoll) respectively, bruised and banged up by their adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for seven days, along with their over-sharing, manipulative mother Hillary Altman (Jane Fonda) 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, dysfunction and redemption that only families can provide-- driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.

Others to round out the cast are Rose Byrne as Penny Moore, Kathryn Hahn as Annie Altman, Paul's wife, Connie Britton as Tracy Sullivan, Phillip's girlfriend, Timothy Olyphant as Horry Callen, Dax Shepard as Wade Beaufort, Judd's boss, Debra Monk as Linda Callen, Abigail Spencer as Quinn Altman, Judd's wife, Ben Schwartz as Rabbi Charles Grodner (aka Boner), Aaron Lazar as Barry Weissman as Wendy's husband and Cade Lappin as Cole.

This was effectively directed by the comedy veteran Shawn Levy ("Address Unknown" '97, "Big Fat Liar" '02, "Just Married" '03, "Cheaper By the Dozen" '03, "The Pink Panther" '06, "Night at the Museum" '06, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" '09, "Date Night" '10, "Real Steel" '11, "Family Trap" (TV movie) '12, "The Internship" '13) and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" is right around the corner, while still in post production will be released in December. I call this guy the director with a heart, because we seem to usually learn something from the films he directs--must have a lot to do with the writers he associates with. He doesn't typically do silly, over-the-top, toilet humor comedies which is a plus in my book. Please stay in business Shawn! This was uproariously written by Jonathan Tropper based on his novel. Trust me, this isn't perfect--there were a few places that were far-fetched even for this family, but suffice it to say, it goes into one dysfunctional issue to another. What makes this work is the fact when the chips are down, the family, with all its problems and pitfalls, still sticks together in spite of what's going on and Tropper made this honestly clear. Another film that had similarities to this, but still was able to hold its own was last year's amazing "August: Osage County". Siblings forced back to their childhood home because of their father's death, having to face their dysfunctional mother and each other's issues while trying to keep what's left of their sanity. That, as this, was solid writing.

The lesson here is that even though we have issues with our respective families, we can still experience love, acceptance and redemption because we are family and that, for reasons we cannot explain, is the key which is why families typically stick together.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                           Rated: R                             103mins.