This Is Where I Leave You

Boasting a star-studded cast, this dysfunctional family dramedy finds adult siblings forcibly being reunited to mourn their recently deceased father, leading—predictably—to old tensions flaring up amidst rampant regrets. Shortly after Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) discovers his wife (Abigail Spencer) in bed with his boss (Dax Shepard), he's informed that his father has died and he's expected to sit shiva (the Jewish tradition of observing a seven-day period of grieving) at their home in Westchester County, NY. Trying to hide his own problems, Judd finds himself embroiled with his sister-in-law (Kathryn Hahn), who is married to his older brother (Corey Stoll) and desperately trying to get pregnant. Meanwhile, his stoner younger brother (Adam Driver) shows up with a much-older girlfriend (Connie Britton), who looks startlingly like Hilary (Jane Fonda), the family's WASP-y matriarch, a renowned child psychologist. Judd's only confidante is his bossy sister (Tina Fey), who is still guiltily conflicted about her past relationship with a brain-injured neighbor (Timothy Olyphant). And to compound Judd's melancholic confusion, he is suddenly confronted with the romantic availability of a former flame (Rose Byrne). Adapted by Jonathan Tropper from his fine and rueful bestselling novel, the film version as directed by Shawn Levy struggles to rise above a sitcom full of sappy stereotypes. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “The Gospel According to Rabbi Boner” outtakes (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an audio commentary by director Shawn Levy and author Jonathan Tropper, “Points of Departure” behind-the-scenes featurettes (21 min.), deleted scenes (14 min.), a discussion with Levy and Tropper (5 min.), and bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing adaptation.] (S. Granger)