MOVIE REVIEW - This Is Where I Leave You

What an opportunity wasted.  Plain and simple.

The new comedy, This Is Where I Leave You has a good cast, star power, and a great release time of the year to be wildly successful.  But this movie does what countless other before it do.  Gives these actors virtually nothing to work with.

This is the story of the Altman family from the East Coast.  The four children are all grown up and all have their own lives.  Then their father dies.  As all events like this do, they bring all of the family together in the same place at the same time. And as a thoroughly modern comedy would dictate, all of their dysfunction. 

Mr. Altman's final wish was for all of his kids to be in the same house for a solid week together, and his widow has demanded that they do it.  As they do, they bring all of their kids, spouses, and girlfriends with them, along with all of their dysfunction too.  In short, that's what this movie attempts to do.  Showcase the dysfunction and try to find the humor in it as we all try to relate it to out own lives.  And at times they pull it off.  Problem is, it's only at times.

This boasts the cast of Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, the lovely Rose Byrne, and a very solid supporting cast that are all talented, but are given a terrible script.  All over an idea that isn't all that bad. This movie suffers from trying entirely too hard, and much of this feels terribly forced.  

Sadly, this movie can't get out of its own way for much of it.  This movie does have a beating heart, and there are some very nice scenes that we all can relate too. And this has some very nice moments and some funny ones too.  But too many sophomoric comedic decisions are made that really take the wind out of the sails.  I don't know about you, but I am not obsessed with toddlers potty training, but they certainly are. 

Also there are about 1,000 jokes about their 70 year-old moms breasts and that gets old quick.  Plus, we have to hear countless jokes about various bathroom and locker room subject matter that doesn't make this a better movie, just a more mediocre one.  This is a good example of this -  if you've seen the preview, there is no reason to see the movie. Well, except for an attempted plot twist at the end, that they think is smarter than it actually is. You more than likely will see it coming.

This Is Where I Leave You. Terrible title,  horrible script, and a very below average comedy.  Big chance out the window.