This Is Where I Leave You (2014)

I'm not entirely sure that 4/5 stars for this movie is fair. It might be closer to 4.5/5. There very little that doesn't work in this movie. The plot is simple and the cast is rather star-studded for the basic plot line. My favorites of this cast include Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Dax Shepard, and Adam Driver. I might be biased, but Adam Driver stole the show for me. He plays the youngest of the siblings that have been thrown together. The story revolves around the death of a father. His kids are played by Corey Stoll, Bateman, Fey, and Driver and they all work in this movie. His widow is played by Jane Fonda who is serviceable as the "suspiciously" keeping it together Mom. Jane Fonda tells her children that their Father's last wish was for them to participate in Shiva, the Jewish mourning and remembrance period. No one really wants to take part in this, but they are given no choice since this was the Father's last wish and their Mother is not letting them off the hook. Each day that goes by brings more drama and more story to go along with it. The world is full of dysfunctional families, and some maybe even have this group beat, but you can't deny that you can relate to one of these characters. There are cliched moments, so be ready for those, but in the end this film works for me.

I'm well aware that this film does have some hatred, but it worked for me and some others so maybe you will get something out of it. If nothing else, you will know what Shiva is and how it works.