This is Where I Leave You - C+

Rated R, 103 minutes
Wes's Grade: C+

Tina Fey and Jason Bateman

Fun but flimsy family dramedy "This is Where I Leave You" won't stay with you

It's hard to dislike the charming but forgettable new dramedy "This is Where I Leave You." It seems perfectly suited for the fall: it has a very appealing (and quite extensive) ensemble cast and is peppered with some fun moments, and while all that's good, it doesn't really add up to much. The four contentious siblings of the Altman  family (Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, and Corey Stoll) reunite at their childhood home after their father dies, all grounded for a week by their Mom (Jane Fonda) of sitting Shiva (their father's last request). Directed by Shawn Levy ("The Night at the Museum" movies) and written by Jonathan Topper, based on his best-selling novel, the bland, likable dramedy "This is Where I Leave You" is a crowd-pleasing movie filled with too many characters and hampered by a weak script. The most memorable: "Girls" Adam Driver, who is a bundle of unbridled energy, stealing scenes as the spoiled youngest , child; Fonda who is all aglow, looking terrific for her age and not really needing those fantastic fake boobs she sports, while Fey and Bateman are well cast as the sarcastic siblings. On the downside, there's really too many extraneous characters here, at least about a half-dozen or more (including Rose Byrne, Connie Britton, Dax Shepherd, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant, Kathryn Hahn and some dude named Boner) all of whom could've been excised for a tighter story; the plot is meandering and overlong, I mean how many times can you smoke pot or sit on the roof at dawn and chat? Apparently, quite a bit, according to Topper's script. I did like one mildly unpredictable plot twist involving Fonda, and one adorable kid named Cole who likes to take his portable toilet with him everywhere so he can get his poop on at the most inopportune times. Unlike the movie and many of the unsympathetic characters portrayed here, at least he knows what he wants to do. On that note, the unmemorable, rather flimsy "This is Where I Leave You," in spite of its talented cast and sporadic laughs, doesn't really accomplish much or have anything significant to say about family or relationships. One thing you can take with you: Fonda still looks fabulous, and that may be enough for some.