Movie Crush Monday: Little C and This is Where I Leave You

Readers, The time has come again for me to poorly discuss a film with you. I had a minor meltdown last night (as is my bi-weekly tradition before my Movie Crush posts are due) and then, as I was trolling IMDB for inspiration, I stumbled across the perfect movie.

This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

The basic premise is that the father of a large group of adult children dies, and his wife (Played by human perfection Jane Fonda) insists that the children stay for a week to sit Shiva for their dad. For those who aren't familiar sitting Shiva is a Jewish tradition where family members spend a week receiving visitors and mourning. And when you take four hyper-disfunctional adult siblings and force them to spend a week of their lives together during a time when emotions are already running a little hot... Let's just say I was very much reminded of my own family. In a good way. 

Amen, Tina. 

Listen, I know comedy is subjective and what does it for one person doesn't always work for the person next to them. Personally, I think every comedy that has come out in the last 5 years is a stupid series of lowbrow jokes aimed at former and current Frat-boys. So I expected very little when we stepped in to this film. And I should have known better. The cast is stacked with actors who don't sign up for just any project. CT did a whole ode to our spirit animal Tina Fey, and she is joined by Jason Bateman, Connie "Mrs. Taylor" Britton, and Justified badass Timothy Olyphant. The actors alone are stunning, but when combined with a very smart and well thought out script, they elevate this little family comedy to a new level. 

Been there... 

I will tack on a sort of warning, this isn't just a funny movie. The issues that the characters are dealing with, even outside of the death of their father, are very heavy. I managed to make it through without crying but it was a near miss and there are definitely moments that this felt more like a drama. But then it transitioned seemlessly back into making everyone in the theater laugh. Which is rare, and a tribute to the writer Jonathan Trooper. He's able to walk a very fine line while maintaining realistic characters and relationships.  

This is the first Movie Crush post I've done about a movie I do no currently own, but with our step mom, Nicko, coming in to town this weekend to run 18,000 miles with CT, I'm thinking I should pick up a copy. Nicko would appreciate the madness. I urge you to do the same the next time your family drives you crazy. It's always good to be reminded that you're not alone. 

Happy watching,

Little C