Back in June I shared with you my review of Jonathan Tropper's book "This Is Where I Leave You." I knew the book was being made into a movie, but I was disappointed in the casting. I didn't think Jason Bateman was homely enough to play Judd, I thought Tina Fey was too well known to play Wendy and I definitely didn't think Adam Driver was sexy enough to play Phillip.
Well, last night I saw the movie and boy was I wrong. The casting was perfection.
SPOILER ALERT! Do not read on if you don't want to know what happens in the movie. Seriously. Don't.
As with most film adaptations, the movie is hardly ever as good as the book. In the case of "This Is Where I Leave You," the screenplay was written by Tropper, so it kept as much of the integrity of the book as it possibly could. If you saw "The Fault In Our Stars," that adaptation was also penned by the author of the book and it was practically perfect in every way.
The opening scene of the movie is one of my favorite's from the book - when Judd comes home to discover his wife sleeping with his boss. In the book, Judd is carrying a birthday cake with candles and he winds up smashing the cake into his boss' naked behind. In the movie, Judd stops, stares, retreats, brings the cake back to the kitchen and blows out the candles in this very lame nod to his relationship being extinguished. I wish they hadn't changed that part!
The majority of the story takes place in Judd's childhood home with his mother and three siblings. In the book, their last name is Foxman, but in the movie it's Altman. Seems like an unnecessary change.
As I said earlier, I wasn't thrilled when I heard Jason Bateman was cast as Judd. In the book, Judd is seriously down and out. He's living in a basement level rental apartment, he's gained 20 pounds and he hates the world. In the film version, Judd is more sad than angry. Bateman played him with this quiet introspection and solitude that actually worked.
Bateman has some cute scenes with his love interest, Penny, a girl who had a major crush on him in high school. She's played by Rose Byrne, who is way too pretty. In the book, Penny is a bit zany and weird and in the movie she's much more put together.
Tina Fey plays Wendy, Judd's sister and kindred spirit. They are the closest of all the siblings and their dynamic together on screen is pure magic. There's one scene where Wendy is trying to force Judd to spill the beans to his family about his cheating wife where their fight escalates to a hilarious level of anger that only a sibling could provoke.
The hilarity extends to Wendy's son, Cole, who has some of the best lines and physical comedy moments in the whole movie. A kid who travels from room to room with his potty? Guaranteed laughs.
Wendy also has a warm and fuzzy relationship with her high school sweetheart, Horry, played by Timothy Olyphant. Though he doesn't have as much screen time as he had in the book, the genuine love and affection between them is palpable even in those two or three scenes.
Adam Driver from HBO's "GIRLS" plays the youngest brother, Phillip. In the book he's supposed to be drop dead gorgeous, attracting women everywhere he goes. Personally, I have never felt attracted to Adam Driver, so I was skeptical about him being cast in this role. Though this movie didn't change my opinion of him, he did fit in perfectly with the rest of the cast. And I'll admit, he looks sexy driving a Porsche.
He was also part of one of my favorite scenes in the movie when he, Judd and their oldest brother Paul get high at their synagogue in one of the Hebrew school classrooms.
Starring opposite Phillip is a much older love interest, Tracy, played by the incredible Connie Britton. Again, I didn't like her for this part, but she made it work. She'll always be Tami Taylor to me.
Leading this brood is Mrs. Altman, played by Jane Fonda. This casting was closest to the mental image I had when reading the book. I can't imagine this part being played by anyone else.
Though I had my reservations about the casting going into the movie last night, I will totally eat crow. The film was amazing. I laughed, I laughed harder, I cried and I wanted to hug every single one of the Altman siblings.
Whether you have read the book or not, you must go see "This Is Where I Leave You."
Did you see any movies this weekend?
