Jason Bateman is not a stranger to onscreen dysfunctional families after Arrested Development, so it’s of little wonder that he seems quite at home in the new trailer for the upcoming This Is Where I Leave You. Jonathan Tropper (the co-creator of Banshee) adapted his original novel for the film version, which revolves around the Foxmans: a Jewish family that, in accordance with their recently-deceased father’s last request, observe Shiva – a week-long mourning period, in which the members of the family are forced to confront their problems head-on.
Judging by the trailer footage, Tropper’s best-selling source material – often compared to the collective work of author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) – has been translated to cinema in a relatively non-flashy, but clean, manner, courtesy of director Shawn Levy (Real Steel, The Internship). Not to say that’s a bad thing, mind; the characters and the actors’ performances behind them, are the real selling points, both in the actual film and trailer alike.
Bateman’s This Is Where I Leave You costars include: Tina Fey (Muppets Most Wanted), Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode VII), Jane Fonda (The Newsroom), Corey Stoll (The Strain), Rose Byrne (Neighbors), Connie Britton (Nashville), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), Dax Shepard (Parenthood), Kathryn Hahn (Bad Words), and Abigail Spencer (Suits), among others. Quite the talented lineup, that.
The combination of star-power and subject matter should help This Is Where I Leave You find an audience; that Levy’s adult-oriented films tends to be more accessible than indie productions of the same ilk, won’t hurt either. There’re also some intriguing names that worked behind the scenes on this flick, including director of photography Terry Stacey (Adventureland, 50/50) and Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up, Star Trek Into Darkness). Well, intriguing for us movie geeks, anyway.
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This Is Where I Leave You opens in U.S. theaters on September 12th, 2014.
