This Is Where I Leave You

There's an old saying that goes something like: "You can pick your nose, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your friend's nose". The same can be said of family. The Altman family is the ultimate definition of a dysfunctional family. For years the Altman kids: Judd, Wendy, Paul, and Phillip, grew up in a household where their Dad was barely emotionally involved with them and their Mom scarred them for life by writing a best-selling novel based on their lives. Fast forward to the present and it seems this dysfunction followed the kids into their adult years: Judd is a successful radio producer who recently caught his wife in bed with his boss, Paul is married and is trying (unsuccessfully) to begin a family with his wife, Wendy is unhappily married to a workaholic, and Phillip is a womanizer who flat out refuses to grow up. After bottling up their problems for so long, each of the kids must come to terms with both their problems and each other when their father dies and they all gather for the funeral.

This is Where I Leave You is marketed as a comedy, but the first half of the film is nothing but R-rated vulgar 'humor' that really isn't all that funny. I think I laughed once, maybe twice during the whole first half. The second half of This is Where I Leave You, however, was actually pretty funny despite still being vulgar. One hilarious scene during the second half involved Judd, Paul, and Phillip smoking in a classroom and setting off the fire alarm. Another scene where Judd starts a fight with his former boss for sleeping with his wife is pretty funny when Wendy gets involved and sucker punches Judd's boss in the nose.

On a more positive note, I did appreciate how This is Where I Leave You stressed that a family's bond is one of the strongest bonds there is. All of the Altman's stand up and support one another throughout the film. Even the mother, Hillary, expresses her love for her kids and makes sure they realize their father loved them as well, he just didn't know how to express his feelings to them.

That being said, this is one movie where the content overshadowed the positive messages about family. Not to mention that for being a comedy, most of it in the beginning wasn't very funny.

When the Game Stands Tall

For 11 years (1992 to 2003), De La Salle High School's football team went undefeated. Guided by the leadership of Bob Ladouceur, they worked hard to do and be the best. Try as they might, other high school teams could not de-throne De La Salle as champions...until the first game of the 2004 season when they lose their first game. This turn of events crushes everyone involved, Bob Ladouceur most of all as he realizes he put winning football games ahead of his family. Once Coach Bob realizes this, he begins a journey for both himself and his team to return to the team they once were, learning a valuable lesson that winning isn't everything - it's how you play the game that matters.

When the Game Stands Tall is a great family flick. Considering it's based on a true story, it is predictable; and yet it still manages to be an entertaining - not to mention emotional - film. I've always been a big fan of Jim Caviezel, especially his most recent television role as John Reese on Person of Interest. His role as Coach Bob Ladouceur isn't quite as developed as his role on Person of Interest, or most of his other previous roles; but what Caviezel does as Coach Bob Ladouceur is still remarkable.

One of the bigger things I I thought was interesting - and was certainly happy to see - was the presence of the topic of faith. De La Salle is a Catholic school, and so there are dozens of references to Scripture verses, Coach Bob leads the team in the Lord's Prayer before every game, among other things. To see the topic of faith in a good light instead of being mocked was refreshing. Some people may or may not be put off by the spiritual content, but I appreciated it.

Overall, When the Game Stands Tall is a must-see film for people who enjoy feel-good/underdog types of stories.