Welcome to this Parent's Guide for the film This Is Where I Leave You. The film, based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper, is a comedic drama about a family gathering for the funeral of their father. The film is rated R for strong language, sexual content, and some drug use.
Release Date: September 19, 2014
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Kathryn Hahn, and others.
Running Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
This guide provides you with information about the film to help you decide if it's appropriate for your family. The guide includes details about the plot, casting, certification, content descriptions, and discussion topics.
Plot Summary:
After their father passes away, four siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens.
Casting:
- Jason Bateman as Judd Altman
- Tina Fey as Wendy Altman
- Jane Fonda as Hilary Altman
- Corey Stoll as Paul Altman
- Adam Driver as Phillip Altman
- Rose Byrne as Penny Moore
- Kathryn Hahn as Barbara Altman
- Connie Britton as Barbara's husband
- Timothée Chalamet as Horry Callen
- Debra Monk as Linda Callen
- Ben Schwartz as Rabbi Charles Grodner
Certification:
The film is rated R for strong language, sexual content, and some drug use.
Content Descriptions:
Sex and Nudity:
- Frequent use of coarse language, including sexual expletives and slang terms for male body parts.
- Partial nudity shown with the wife and the boss.
Violence and Gore:
- brief non-graphic violence.
- Four scenes depicting fighting and electrocution.
- Some scenes may frighten children.
Profanity:
- 27 uses of the sexual expletive, sometimes in a sexual or aggressive context.
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking:
- Infrequent portrayals of illegal drug use (marijuana), with some detail.
Frightening & Intense Scenes:
- The second half of the movie is much more serious. Families who have recently lost loved ones may find certain things harder to watch.
Discussion Topics:
- Death
- Jewish customs
- Faith
- Atheism
- Communication
- Honesty
- Relationships
- Love
- Marriage
- Fidelity
- Pregnancy
- Conflict
- Reconciliation
- Letting Go
- Maturity.
Message:
Families can produce strange relationships.
Recommended Age:
This film is recommended for audiences age 16 and up.
Family-Friendly Factors:
- The film is a comedy with many dramatic elements.
- Despite the messy lives of the characters, they are also shown as unhappy and realizing they have to do better.
- The overarching message is the importance of family and forgiveness.
Antinomian Tone:
There is an antinomian tone to the movie’s morality and spirituality, including the family’s politically correct acceptance of homosexual behavior.
Overall Rating:
7/10 – This film is a comedy with many dramatic elements about a secular Jewish family gathering for seven days of shiva mourning their atheist patriarch and coming into conflict with each other before finding some resolutions. While the film has some inappropriate content, it also has positive messages of forgiveness and family strength.
We hope this guide helps you decide if This Is Where I Leave You is appropriate for your family. Please note that the film may contain explicit content, and parental guidance is recommended.
