21 Laps Entertainment, Spring Creek Productions, Warner Bros.,
Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Rose Byrne, Jane Fonda, Connie Britton, Adam Driver, Timothy Olyphant, Kathryn Hahn
Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) is having a bad year. He just walked in on his wife and his boss in his bedroom, lost his home and his job, naturally, and then find out that his father has passed away. So even though Judd has not been home in a long time, he naturally flies back home for the funeral only to be told by his mother Hillary (Jane Fonda) that his father’s last wish was to have all four siblings home and to perform the Jewish ritual and sit shivah in the house for seven days. The problem is that though they start out nicely for a few minutes, old resentments and problems arise and set the family into a turmoil of epic proportions. There are so many surprises and secrets revealed that no one can keep up with it all. This is a very realistic dysfunctional family full of crazies, just like all of us seem to have. Can they make it through a whole week without something else awful happening?
This is one of those “relationship” movies that have been so popular over the years. This is, like some of the others, a collection of real starts brought together as a group in an ensemble movie. Truly it’s basically told through Judd’s eyes, but this is really about the entire extended family and everyone shines. The characters are marvelously developed and it’s truly funny. From the pranks that you can’t see coming, to the quirkiness of each different member of the family, it’s a laugh riot. I really have to say that I laughed a lot throughout the film, and I must say it kept me really entertained throughout. This is one of the best comedies I’ve seen in a while. There are some really funny sideline characters too that will make you laugh. With Ben Schwartz as a childhood friend of the family turned rabbi tries to play it straight and be serious (acting of course) the family tortures him and it’s a long running gag throughout the movie. It all feels very real, and painfully funny, and even though I am not usually blown away with Jason Bateman’s typical nice guy who gets dumped on by everyone, I really thought he shined through this movie and it was a good call to cast him. I found this highly entertaining and I recommend you give this movie a shot. I hope you’ll like it too.
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