Riot’s Recommendations: This Is Where I Leave You
It hasn’t necessarily been a slow week in cinema, but there certainly aren’t any titles out there currently that peaked my interest enough to visit the theater this weekend. So why do a write-up on an overlooked and critically pannedfilm from 2014? Last Sunday, I was listening to the Smartless podcast (hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes with guest Shawn Levy) at work and was stunned by the conversation. In it, Levy admitted to the three hosts that he went through a bit of an identity crisis after one of his passion projects flopped at the box office. Levy has gone on to achieve massive success with more recent titles like Arrival, Stranger Things and The Adam Project, but I was flabbergasted at the idea that the film that left him briefly spiraling was one of my favorite films to re-watch, This Is Where I Leave You. Certainly my opinion won’t mean much eight years later, but I thought it would be fun to offer a defense of the title and recommend, to anyone that I can, that they take the time to watch a movie that remains near and dear to my heart.
After spending some time going over the negative reviews and criticisms of the film, I’m surprised to find that something I viewed as a strength of the story was widely disparaged, namely that there were too many actors and too many storylines to follow. This Is Where I Leave You features a massive cast (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Katheryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, and Dax Shepard), each with subplots and backstories that are all centered around a single, dysfunctional family. Brought together by the death of the Altman’s father and all facing a number of identity crises, each character works through their respective issues to discover their love for each other and their family is enough to keep them centered and ready to confront the next stage of their journey. If I’m being honest, I think it’s actually reasonable to say that the sheer amount of subplots might be enough to make a viewer feel overwhelmed or disjointed. But, I think that there are two arguments that should be taken into account that explain why this is not a detriment to the film. The first is that this is a script that was adapted from a novel. Historically, the “book vs film” debate has always been one of tension and I would argue is an issue that can never be truly settled. This film is a good example. There is such a significant amount of detail and “fleshing out” of characters that is more easily accomplished in literature that doesn’t always translate well through film. The depths of emotion and internal thought processes that an author can cover in a book are not as easily expressed through physical portrayals in a movie, no matter how good the acting is. Though I haven’t read This Is Where I Leave You, I found it incredibly interesting that the author (Jonathan Tropper) adapted his own novel into the screenplay. I would imagine that the original author paid far more respect to his original work when doing the film adaptation than perhaps an outsider would have. The second defense is that regular people and regular anecdotes are messy. There are a number of films that have tackled down to earth stories that focus on interpersonal relationships. (I even negatively reviewed one here). Where I think This Is Where I Leave You stood out, is that it felt like it actually had purpose behind it and the weight of the experience of each character is fleshed out (however quickly) in not only a humorous way, but also in a way that wasn’t overblown, or overly dramatic. The members of the Altman family are confronting tragedy and their pasts in a very real way, making their stories not only relatable but also incredibly interesting.
As someone that’s generally (and genuinely) interested in regular people’s experiences, this is a film I would of course be drawn to. But I think its relatability is something that many people will enjoy. I would certainly recommend this film to anyone that was/is a fan of Arrested Development if merely for the fact that Bateman carries over his Michael Bluth persona into a similar story, complete with his dry humor and witty one-liners. Outside of the star-studded cast, comedy is really the film’s biggest selling point. Fey and Bateman give the most convincing brother and sister performance since Ross and Monica. Their banter is particularly hilarious but remains heartwarming throughout as the two are clearly portrayed as the closest of the siblings. Adam Driver, as the youngest child and certainly the biggest screw-up of the family, does a fantastic job playing an emotionally stunted man that is struggling (and failing) to overcome his impulses. He wants to play the grown-up but constantly proves that he can’t be trusted to behave like one. Corey Stoll as the eldest and sternest of the Altman children plays perfectly across from Driver, highlighting the trope of “the youngest child wins” and creating some of the more memorable conflicts of the film. Lastly, Jane Fonda plays a psychologist that blatantly ignores her children’s right to privacy not only in regards to her professional life, but also in many aspects of her personal life as well. This movie is overtly human in all the right ways and reminds the audience that when their world seems to fall apart, there’s always an opportunity to laugh about it before pressing on. This Is Where I Leave You can be viewed/streamed on HBO Max and Hulu. I would highly recommend you give it a shot.
Kommentare