You look at the cast of This Is Where I Leave You, and you see so many encouraging names. Tina Fey is a beloved comedic talent, for example. There are also folks such as Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne and even Jane Fonda, a veritable legend. It seems encouraging, that list of names, does it not? Then, you remember that Ms. Fey’s movie career is not quite as successful as her television one, and that many of these names don’t necessarily have esteemed filmographies. However, to be fair, it is hard to blame any of these actors for the cinematic atrocity that is This Is Where I Leave You. There is not a cast alive that could have salvaged this flaming garbage barge of a film.
The plot is simple in concept and could have easily been handled in a humorous or insightful manner. The patriarch of the Altman family has died, and it is his final wish for his family to sit Shiva for him, even though he wasn’t Jewish. Fair enough! This is an acceptable premise. Some estranged, quirky family members come together. Lessons are learned, laughs are had and emotions are emoted. This could have happened. Instead, the poor, unsuspecting viewer is served up a big slab of awfulness.
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