Jane Fonda's husband has died, and her four children return home for the funeral. The oldest son, Corey Stall, has marital troubles with his wife, Kathryn Hahn, who used to be his younger brother's girlfriend. Jason Bateman, just found out his wife cheated on him, and he seeks to numb his heartache with Rose Byrne, a friend from high school. Tina Fey's husband ignores her and works too much, and she has an emotionally complex history with the neighbor, Timothy Olyphant. And the problemed child, Adam Driver, is involved with an older woman, Connie Britton. With all the children's problems, is there any room for Jane Fonda? Yes, there is. She, just like her children, has problems and secrets that are bound to come out over the weekend.
I'm sure every viewer will take his own opinion of the film, but I was pretty split down the middle. Jason Bateman's storyline takes the lead, and it was my worst part of the film. Rose Byrne was wholly unlikable, and I wished that both she and Jason would have surrendered their screen time to someone else. Adam Driver's part of the plot is much smaller, but it's more interesting. His girlfriend is a therapist, and his character, more than anyone, shows the damage dysfunctional parenting does to children. By far, Tina Fey's segment was my favorite. Yes, she's famous for her comedic talents, but when she tackles a dramatic scene, she's surprisingly talented. The scenes she shares with Timothy Olyphant are very touching.
This Is Where I Leave You is a very typical dysfunctional family film, so if you don't like those types of movies, you're not going to like this one. I watched it because I like Jane Fonda, but it's not a movie I'll probably want to rent again.
Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some adult content, I wouldn't let my kids watch this movie.
I'm sure every viewer will take his own opinion of the film, but I was pretty split down the middle. Jason Bateman's storyline takes the lead, and it was my worst part of the film. Rose Byrne was wholly unlikable, and I wished that both she and Jason would have surrendered their screen time to someone else. Adam Driver's part of the plot is much smaller, but it's more interesting. His girlfriend is a therapist, and his character, more than anyone, shows the damage dysfunctional parenting does to children. By far, Tina Fey's segment was my favorite. Yes, she's famous for her comedic talents, but when she tackles a dramatic scene, she's surprisingly talented. The scenes she shares with Timothy Olyphant are very touching.
This Is Where I Leave You is a very typical dysfunctional family film, so if you don't like those types of movies, you're not going to like this one. I watched it because I like Jane Fonda, but it's not a movie I'll probably want to rent again.
Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to some adult content, I wouldn't let my kids watch this movie.