This Is Where I Leave You is heartwarming

Director Shawn Levy’s This Is Where I Leave You, based on Jonathan Tropper’s novel of the same name, depicts realistic familial relationships during a time of crisis. The story follows Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) as he deals with his cheating wife and the death of his father. His mother Hillary (Jane Fonda) calls Judd and his three siblings home to sit Shiva — a Jewish tradition in which the mourning family sits for seven days doing no work.

While Judd tries to get over his wife by spending time with childhood friend Penny (Rose Byrne), his siblings have problems of their own. His sister Wendy (Tina Fey) faces issues in her own marriage, brother Paul (House of Cards’s Corey Stoll) can’t get his wife pregnant and brother Phillip (Girls’s Adam Driver) struggles to get his act together both financially and romantically.

Bateman spends most of the film angry and confused, happy only when he spends time with Penny. However, Bateman’s best moments are with his sister Wendy. In one scene they sit on the roof of their childhood home and talk about all the problems that plague them. They are best friends as well as confidantes — Wendy is the first person Judd tells when his wife cheats on him.

Although all the actors perform well, Fonda and Driver stand out. Even as the grieving wife and mother, Fonda still manages to inject humor into her role. She is both embarrassing and comforting, as any good mother should be. Her augmented breasts are a running joke, but she continues to act with overwhelming confidence.

As the family screw-up, Driver demonstrates his emotional range as an actor. He is the smooth-talking little brother, the flirty player and the one who’s always there for his family in the end. He spends the movie cracking jokes but in the end is the one who comforts both Bateman and Fey.

Amidst all this drama and tension, Byrne’s character is shoved to the sidelines. Penny’s defining characteristic is that she has never left home. She’s a quirky girl who teaches ice-skating, and she provides a nice way for Judd to forget about his problems. Penny has a cheerful outlook, but beyond that she is a flat character. Her backstory involves her love for Judd, and what little character development she has also centers around her love for Judd.

Despite Byrne’s lackluster role, the film still manages to create funny scenes as well as tug at your heartstrings. Any scene with young Rabbi Charles “Boner” Grodner (Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz) is sure to bring laughs, and Judd’s stirring memory of his father near the end of the movie will warm your heart.

Levy’s film is an accurate depiction of what happens to a family when things fall apart. The film conveys that there is always a way to get back up again and that it’s okay to cry. As Judd learns, you don’t always have to sever yourself from the people who hurt you. Overall, This Is Where I Leave You successfully presents a realistic family and is a film complete with unlikely shenanigans and heartwarming compassion.