Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

This Is Where I Leave You

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Dramedy mines dysfunction for laughs; some sex, language.

Movie R 2014 103 minutes
This Is Where I Leave You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Chele6.0
Chele6.0 Adult
October 2, 2014
age 17+

The Smut Show

Went to see it with my husband, in spite of my reservations. I knew it would be filthy, and it was. I walked out halfway through. Just because people talk like that "in real life" doesn't mean I want to sit through 2 hours of constant f bomb and sexual references. The very first scene was an inappropriately long sex scene. Some may find that entertaining, but I don't. When we have no standards, we get smut on the big screen.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
rienovo
rienovo Parent of 13-year-old
September 27, 2014
age 14+

family drama, sex and language

I wanted to take my 14 year old HS freshman to a movie tonight. When reviewing the options that would be appropriate and appeal to her, I had violence, violence, sex, violence and cartoons. All of the PG13 movies were chock full of graphic violence, turtles, maze runner (which she refused to see because the trailer was to violent), galaxy of the guardians, etc. And then there was this movie which had sex (OMG), and some language. Oh, and some adult themes, because apparently graphic violence does not count as an adult theme, but infidelity does. Luckily my child is interested in adult themes, as she is considering a career in psychology, and has done a sexuality program called OWL, so is familiar with sex as well. Otherwise we probably would have had to stay home. She doesn't like violence, cartoons, or schmaltzy feel good movies. This movie was very funny, and somewhat realistic in terms of what is like to be an adult in a household with your siblings. We both enjoyed the movie, but I would be a little careful in bringing children not versed in adult themes or familiar with sexuality. Most HS children hear plenty of language in the hallways of their school, even if they don't use it at home. Don't be fooled!
1 person found this helpful.
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Based on the best seller by Jonathan Tropper, THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU starts at the end of the life of the Altman family patriarch. Judd (Jason Bateman), Wendy (Tina Fey), Paul (Corey Stoll), and Phillip (Adam Driver) -- the adult Altman siblings -- have just lost their father. Along with their mother, Hilary (Jane Fonda) -- a therapist who's written about each and every one of them -- they're sitting shiva. They haven't seen much of each other lately, but they have seven days to reconnect, and -- as often happens when families get together -- unearth past disagreements. For Judd, it's an especially difficult time: He's just discovered that his wife, Quinn (Abigail Spencer), is having an affair with his boss, Wade Beaufort (Dax Shepard).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (6 ):

Based on the cast alone, This Is Where I Leave You is a winner. Nearly every single name in the credits -- topped, of course by Fonda, who's enchanting --brings weight to the movie. See it just to watch them create, with much success, a dysfunctional family that functions with deep love and respect for one another -- a motley, hobbled crew we can all love.

Beyond that, though, you'll be working more with bits of pleasure and enjoyment than with a film that's appealing as a whole. It's funny, yes, though sometimes the laughs come at the expense of originality. And it's moving, though the insight arrives bundled with a helping of treacle. At least the story itself is offbeat. But truly, the best reason to see This Is Where I Leave You is that it leaves you thinking just enough about your own family's quirks and secrets to appreciate its authentic, if sometimes obvious, takeaways. And that cast! But we've mentioned that already.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how This Is Where I Leave You treats drinking/drug use. Are there realistic consequences? If not, what message does that send?

  • What role does sex play in the movie? How does it impact the characters' relationships with each other?

  • Are the Altmans a typical family, or are they more messed up than others? What can we learn from them?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate