This Is Where I Leave You
Directed by Shawn Levy
- drama
- comedy
The story
When their father passes away, four grown, world-weary siblings return to their childhood home and are requested -- with an admonition -- to stay there together for a week, along with their free-speaking mother and a collection of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. As the brothers and sisters re-examine their shared history and the status of each tattered relationship among those who know and love them best, they reconnect in hysterically funny and emotionally significant ways.
What it’s like
Warm, lived-in suburban interiors shot in soft daylight: a crowded childhood house with cluttered kitchens, a sunlit backyard, and a stuffy, over-decorated living room where the camera mostly stays at conversational distance and lets people talk over each other. The palette is earthy and domestic, with honeyed wood, faded family photos and the slightly washed-out gloss of mid-2010s digital cinematography. Music is light and pop-leaning, with a few wistful acoustic cues that slip in around the grief. The vibe is wry, bittersweet and chaotic-warm, the kind of gathering you half-want to be part of, best for a rainy Sunday, a comfort rewatch, or an evening when you want to laugh and feel a little tender at once. Pacing is brisk and talky, with sharp banter and sudden quiet beats. Its siblings are slowly, grudgingly rebuilding trust with each other, and a mother who says exactly what she thinks sits at the centre of it all. Intensity is mild: some profanity, sexual innuendo and adult humour, a brief fight, and grief handled with candour rather than harshness; no gore and little real violence. It suits viewers who want funny, emotionally honest family drama without anything bleak.
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