This Is Where I Leave You

This Is Where I Leave You
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shawn Levy
Screenplay by	Jonathan Tropper
Based on	This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Produced by	Shawn Levy Paula Weinstein Jeffrey Levine
Starring	Jason Bateman Tina Fey Adam Driver Rose Byrne Corey Stoll Kathryn Hahn Jane Fonda
Cinematography	Terry Stacey
Edited by	Dean Zimmerman
Music by	Michael Giacchino
Production companies	RatPac-Dune Entertainment Spring Creek Productions 21 Laps Entertainment
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	September 19, 2014 (2014-09-19)
Running time	103 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$19.8 million[2]
Box office	$41.3 million[2]

This Is Where I Leave You is a 2014 American comedy-drama film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, and Jane Fonda. It is based on the 2009 novel of the same title by Jonathan Tropper, who also wrote the film's screenplay.^[3] This Is Where I Leave You tells the story of four grown siblings who are forced to return to their childhood home after their father's death and live under the same roof for seven days, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens. The film was released on September 19, 2014, and grossed $41.3 million against a $19.8 million production budget.^[4][5]

Plot[edit]

New York City radio producer Judd Altman finds out his wife Quinn has been having an affair with his boss Wade for a year. After he moves out, his sister Wendy calls to says their father Mort has died.

In Upstate New York, the Altmans gather for the funeral at their mother's home and reconnect with Wendy's ex-boyfriend Horry Callen, who suffered a brain injury years before, and his mother Linda. Wendy is unhappy because her workaholic husband Barry neglects her. Judd reunites with his older brother Paul and Paul's wife Annie, who was once Judd's girlfriend. The youngest brother, Phillip, arrives late with his new girlfriend, Tracy, who is his former therapist and several years his senior.

The Altmans' mother Hilary tells her children their father, though an atheist, wanted them to sit shiva, presided over by the Altmans' childhood friend, Rabbi Charles "Boner" Grodner. Wendy is the only one in the family who knows about Judd's marital problems. Judd also reconnects with Penny Moore, a woman who had a crush on him in high school.

As the house is crowded with well-wishers, Wendy drunkenly badgers Judd to tell the truth about Quinn. Phillip laments being seen as the family screw-up, while flirting with an ex-girlfriend in front of Tracy. Paul and Annie want to bear a child, but are apprehensive at their inability to conceive. Judd blurts out that Quinn was cheating on him and he plans to divorce her. Quinn shows up the next day and reveals she is pregnant with Judd's child. Phillip finds out about the pregnancy and reveals this to the family.

Judd turns up at Penny’s house and he and Penny have sex. Wendy visits Horry in his backyard, and expresses remorse over the accident that caused his brain injury. The family goes to temple, where the brothers sneak out to smoke marijuana Judd found in the pocket of his father's suit jacket. Annie, upset that she and Paul have not conceived, tries to seduce Judd in hopes that he will impregnate her, but he rejects her. Days later, after Barry leaves for a conference, Wendy has sex with Horry, with whom she is still in love.

Quinn calls Judd while he is out with Penny, fearing she is having a miscarriage, forcing him to disclose the pregnancy to Penny. Judd gets to the hospital to support Quinn where Wade also shows up. The baby, a girl, survives. The two men get into a fight in the waiting room. When Philip and Wendy arrive, she punches Wade in the face, and Judd gets a group of young men who witnessed the confrontation to flip Wade’s Jaguar E-Type. As he leaves, Wade tells Judd he is not ready to step up for Quinn and leaves her. However, Judd lets her know that he will help raise their daughter, even though their marriage is over.

The next day, after talking with Judd, Tracy decides to break up with Phillip. Judd goes to Penny to explain about Quinn and the pregnancy, but she will not listen. Later, Annie apologizes to Judd, confessing that she is frustrated that she cannot get pregnant. She tries persuading Judd into having an affair for the sake of reproducing, but he declines and suggests she focus on what she and Paul do have.

After seeing Judd hugging Annie, Paul assumes Judd is hitting on her, and attacks him as Tracy leaves Phillip, resulting in the three brothers fighting. Hilary shocks everyone into silence by kissing Linda. She informs them that they fell in love while caring for Mort, and that they had Mort's blessing. She admits the shiva was her idea, to both come out to her children and to get them to reconnect. The siblings are shocked, but see their mother is happy and accept it.

When the power goes out in the basement, Judd attempts to fix the fuse box, but is electrocuted and knocked out. He subconsciously recalls a childhood memory of falling off his bicycle and of Mort comforting him. Judd wakes up crying and mourning his father. Judd apologizes to Penny for not being upfront and promises to call her. Realizing that they are in love with each other, Judd and Penny kiss. Wendy leaves with her two children, tearing up as she again leaves Horry. The brothers reconcile and Paul offers Phillip a job at their father's sporting goods store. Judd slips out, steals Phillip's Porsche, and drives up the highway to Maine, where he had always dreamed of going.

Cast[edit]

• Jason Bateman as Judd Altman, the middle son of the four Altman siblings. He is married to Quinn, whom he recently caught cheating on him with his boss
  • Oakes Fegley as Young Judd
• Tina Fey as Wendy Altman, the second-oldest of the four siblings; she is a responsible mother who is married to Barry and has two kids. She is the ex-girlfriend of her childhood friend Horry
• Jane Fonda as Hilary Altman, the widowed mother of Judd, Phillip, Wendy, and Paul. She is a celebrity psychologist and writer
• Adam Driver as Phillip Altman, the youngest of the four siblings; the playboy of the family who thinks he is an entrepreneur
• Rose Byrne as Penny Moore, who had a crush on Judd in high school. He claims that he did not date her at the time because she was just a kid
• Corey Stoll as Paul Altman, the oldest of the four siblings; the no-nonsense brother who is responsible for the family business. He is married to Annie
• Kathryn Hahn as Annie Altman, Paul's wife, and Judd's ex-girlfriend. She and Paul have been trying to conceive
• Connie Britton as Tracy Sullivan, Phillip's girlfriend, and ex-therapist
• Timothy Olyphant as Horry Callen, Wendy's ex-boyfriend, who lives with his mother across the street from the Altman family home due to a brain injury sustained from a car accident when he and Wendy were younger
• Dax Shepard as Wade Beaufort, a shock jock radio personality and Judd's former boss
• Debra Monk as Linda Callen, the Altmans' neighbor, mother of Horry, and Hilary's best friend/romantic partner
• Abigail Spencer as Quinn Altman, Judd's wife
• Ben Schwartz as Rabbi Charles "Boner" Grodner, the town's young rabbi
• Aaron Lazar as Barry Weissman, Wendy's husband.
• Will Swenson as Younger Mort

Production[edit]

This is Where I Leave You began principal photography on May 13, 2013 in New York City.^[6] The home is located in Munsey Park on Long Island. The skating rink was in The Bellmores, New York. The synagogue interior and exterior scenes were actually shot at Congregation Kneses Tifereth Israel in Port Chester, New York.^[7][8] Approximately 40 members of the congregation played extras in the scenes.^[9]

Music[edit]

On October 9, 2013, Michael Giacchino was hired to score the film.^[10] On August 25, 2014, it was announced that WaterTower Music would release a soundtrack album for the film on September 16, 2014.^[11]

Track listing[edit]

Additional music[edit]

• "How Do U Want It" by 2Pac
• "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" by DMX
• "Bitch Betta Have My Money" by AMG
• "Better Man" by Pearl Jam

Marketing[edit]

On May 15, 2014 Entertainment Weekly revealed a still from the film featuring the whole cast. On May 28, 2014 the first trailer was released.^[12]

Release[edit]

This Is Where I Leave You grossed $34.3 million in North America and $6.7 million in other territories for a total gross of $41 million, against its budget of about $20 million.^[13]

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11.6 million, finishing 3rd at the box office behind fellow new releases The Maze Runner ($32.5 million) and A Walk Among the Tombstones ($12.8 million).

Reception[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 44%, based on 167 reviews, with an average rating of 5.47/10. The site's consensus reads, "This Is Where I Leave You has its moments, but given the amount of talent assembled onscreen, the rather pedestrian results can't help but feel like a letdown."^[14] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.^[16]

Home media[edit]

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray December 16, 2014.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website
• This Is Where I Leave You at IMDb