This Is Where I Leave You (12/9/2014)

Rated R for language, sexual content and some drug use.

Starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant and Connie Britton

Directed by Shawn Levy

If you think your family is dysfunctional, just watch This is Where I Leave You.

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.

I have mentioned before in reviews that I’m a big fan of Jason Bateman. And like his role on TVs Arrested Development, he is the glue that is holding this family together…which is not easy when his world is falling apart around him. He’s great in this role as the likable brother, who is flawed, vulnerable and still very funny.

The rest of the cast, which includes Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Dax Shepard, Timothy Olyphant and Connie Britton are all really great. But one stand out is Tina Fey, who plays a character so different than most of her work. She’s mean and hurtful with her sarcasm…and is very believable.

Although the cast is great, they all play characters that are difficult to root for. Each one is so flawed and continues to make poor decisions. As a result, there is a lot of fighting and arguing…none of which is very enjoyable to watch.

I wish I could say that they learned their lessons with that there were redeeming qualities, but each character is extremely selfish and not really interested in improving themselves.

Another issue is that most of their fights revolve around very mature subject matter. Some people may like that, but it was another reason I found it not very enjoyable to watch.

I love stories about broken or flawed people that discover and experience a redemption story. This is Where I Leave You is not that kind of story. In fact they leave you in the middle of a big mess…so I say, “Skip it.”

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
No. The language and subject matter are very mature. There are two sex scenes we see, another we hear and several we hear about. I would also say, keep this one away from teenagers.

CONVERSATION STARTER:

1. How would you describe the relationships between siblings in this movie?


2. How would you describe the relationships between the siblings and the mother?


3. What are some reasons the relationships are not very good?


4. What do you think it takes to have good relationships with siblings?


5. What do you think it takes to have good relationships with parents?

Read the following verse, Col. 3:13 (NLT)

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.


6. Does forgiveness have any role in good relationships (with family or with anyone)?


7. What can you do this week to foster your relationship with your family?