This is Where I Leave You

It blows my mind that a movie based on a book that is so profound, so brilliant, so almost life - altering can end up being so damn mediocre. But that seems to be were we are with the movie This is Where I Leave You based on the excellent novel by Jonathan Tropper.  It's not bad, per se,  and maybe if I hadn't read and been so moved by the book, I would even have liked it more.

This is Where I Leave You is about the Altman family who sit shiva for the seven days following the death of their father. Of course, they are all angry and lonely and a mess, and all of their past feelings and actions creep back up on them during this week where they are stuck together non-stop.  Jason Bateman plays Judd, the perfect middle son whose got his shit together until he finds out his wife is sleeping with his boss. Corey Stoll plays oldest son Paul, the responsible dickish one who is struggling to have a baby with his baby obsessed wife (who used to be Judd's girlfriend). Tina Fey is daughter Wendy, who has an asshole husband and unresolved feelings for her high school sweetheart (Timothy Olyphant). Youngest brother Phillip (played by a scene stealing Adam Driver) is the mess up of the family who is struggling to get his life together with the help of his much older, rich girlfriend Tracy (Connie Britton). Then there is mom Jane Fonda who has new boobs and a seemingly healthy response to the death of her husband.

Here is the thing. The movie wants to be as good as the book, and it desperately tries to fit 300 pages of action into an hour and 45 minute long movie. It all feels so rushed and jumbled and it feels like we don't even get to really get to know these characters. The script isn't very good and the jokes which are supposed to be funny are mostly just chuckle inducing.  Some of the drama feels cliche,  though it doesn't feel that way in the book at all. Most of the performances are pretty spot on. Bateman is a master at deftly switching between comedic and dramatic moments.  It's only Tina Fey who disappoints.  It seems that she is just in a completely different movie tonally.  If there is one person trying to make this movie better, it is Girls star and future Star Wars guy Adam Driver. He easily has the most fun character and he gives it everything he's got. He is a manic ball of energy,  elevating every scene he is in. It is scene blessing more so than scene stealing. It's just a shame that no one else can keep up with him. It would be a much better movie if anyone else brought the same bottled up intensity.

Overall, maybe the movie is better if you didn't read the book. It's not bad. It is quite heart warming and crowd pleasing and a fine depiction of a dysfunctional family. When the movie is good, it totally sucks you in... it just doesn't stay that good for that long. Mostly if you had the choice between seeing the movie and reading the book, pick the book and thank me later.

Grade: C+

Mini Reviews

About Last Night
Stars: Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart
Plot: A remake of the iconic 80's movie about Chicago singletons (although the remake moves them to Los Angeles) navigating friendships and romantic relationships.
Thoughts: This is just so unnecessary. The remake has the same great rapid fire opening as the original and I thought, hey, maybe this will manage to keep the charm of the iconic 80's film starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. But I was wrong. The opening is pretty much the only thing that has that same feel. Remaking this movie was just a waste of time. Michael Ealy, though.
Grade: D

The Hundred-Foot Journey
Stars: Helen Mirren
Plot: A French restaurant is threatened when an Indian family moves in across the street and opens a brand new restaurant.
Thoughts: This movie is super cute, and nice. It's just, really, it gets a little old watching people taste food and say "yum" every five minutes or so. Still, a nice movie.
Grade: C+

Enemy
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal
Plot: A man goes into a tail spin when he watches a locally made independent film and sees a man that looks exactly like him.
Thoughts: This is the sort of movie where, if you don't like it, people will say things like, "Well, I guess you just didn't get it." Oh, I got it all right. That doesn't mean it was good. Like, at all good. This movie is so bad (with an ending so TERRIBLE) that I just wanted to scream in frustration and throw things at my TV.
Grade: F

Locke
Stars: Tom Hardy
Plot: Tom Hardy drives to London and makes phone calls in his car along the way. Shot almost entirely in one take.
Thoughts: Honestly, you had me at Tom Hardy. I know this movie may seem gimmicky, and I guess it kind of is, but if any actor has enough charisma to pull off being stuck in a car talking on a phone for 90 minutes it's Hardy. This movie is actually super compelling and intense.
Grade: B+

The Giver
Stars: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes
Plot: In the future, in a picture perfect society where no one knows pain, a young man must become the new receiver of memories and experience everything that was wiped from the human experience.
Thoughts: When I first left the movie, I was sort of impressed that the movie managed to stay so close to the book while somehow making huge changes. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it could stay close to the book all it wants. It managed to lose one very big thing - the heart of the book. It's like everyone who was involved with this movie read the book and understood the plot but didn't really get it, you know what I mean? Overall, this movie is just too basic for 2014. It's a dated story for our times.
Grade: D

Filth
Stars: James McAvoy
Plot: A corrupt Scottish cop does a lot of drugs while trying to win a promotion that he thinks will impress his wife and daughter.
Thoughts: First of all, I don't know how anyone in Scotland gets anything done because I don't know how they understand anything anyone is saying. Second of all, James McAvoy is so goddamn good in this movie that it actually makes me angry that this movie was so bad. I want it to be better, just for him. He is balls out, out of this world amazing. Like, the best performance I've seen this year by miles. He is so, so, so good and I don't even understand how the movie around him can be so bad.
Grade: D+

Friday Top Five - Most Anticipated

I know I have sort of been M.I.A. lately and that's mostly because there just aren't very many movies I am interested in playing right now. But all that is about to change. With September, comes the good movies, the awards hopefuls, the prestige pictures. So, here's a list of the top 5 films I'm looking forward to in the rest of 2014.
Note: I excluded This is Where I Leave You even though I am very excited to see it (loved the book, love the cast). However, it comes out in just a few short weeks so I thought I would clear the way for something that isn't coming for a while.

05. Unbroken
Stars: Jack O'Connell, Jai Courtney, Garrett Hedlund
Director: Angelina Jolie
Plot: The true story of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
Thoughts: I honestly had no interest in this based on the few articles I've read. Then I saw the trailer before Boyhood (imo, the best part of Boyhood were the trailers!). And now it's one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Not only does it look like this man led an extraordinary life, but also virtual newcomer O'Connell looks like he gives a tour de force, star-making performance.
Release Date: December 25

04. Foxcatcher
Stars: Steve Carrel, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Bennett Miller
Plot: Based on the true story of Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler whose relationship with sponsor John du Pont and brother Dave Schultz would lead to unlikely circumstances.
Thoughts: The buzz is unreal with people talking non-stop about the go-for-broke, fearless performances from the cast, all playing against type. I mean, Miller is kind of a genius. He's the guy who got us to look at Jonah Hill in a completely new and exciting way. Also, Miller's resume is short, but kind of perfect - Capote, Moneyball. I'm all in.
Release Date: November 14

03. Inherent Vice
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Eric Roberts.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Plot: In 1970s Los Angeles, a druggie cop investigates the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
Thoughts: Honestly, who even cares about plot when you look at that thoroughly impressive cast? Anderson doesn't just direct movies, he directs masterpieces. Among his flawed masterpieces are There Will Be Blood and The Master. Both of this films aren't perfect, but are so close, it hurts. One of these times he is going to truly make a masterpiece and until then I will see everyone of his films.
Release Date: December 12

02. Birdman
Stars: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Emma Stone.
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Plot: A washed-up actor who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory.
Thoughts: The trailer for this movie looks absolutely bonkers, but if any movie is poised to make Michael Keaton a legit star once again, I'm more than excited for that. I love Michael Keaton and all the buzz on this movie says it is his best performance ever. Plus, I love weird, unique movies. This is one I am definitely too excited for.
Release Date: October 17

01. Gone Girl
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, Neil Patrick Harris.
Director: David Fincher
Plot: Come on guys, we've all read the book, right??
Thoughts: First of all, Gillian Flynn has quickly become one of my favorite writers. Second of all, this book was pretty perfect with a main character so twisted and flawed and complex and fascinating. Third of all, and really, the only thing that even remotely matters, this is a David Fincher film, and David Fincher is perfect. If ever a book was made for a director, it's this book and this man. His movies are already twisted and dark, and he is just going to nail this... I can feel it. My anticipation has been growing ever since he signed on for the project and in less than a month, we'll finally be able to see his latest masterpiece.
Release Date: October 3