I’ve never been able to trust ensemble casts. It’s illogical, but I’m working on it. “This Is Where I Leave You” didn’t help to quell these trust issues by biting off a little more than it could chew, narratively. Truth be told, the all-star cast contributed to the scattered nature of the movie.

“This Is Where I Leave You,” based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper, is about the four grown-up children of the Altman family who move back home for a week to sit shiva together to fulfill the dying wish of their father. The story’s main protagonist is Judd Altman, played by Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”), who is simultaneously dealing with the death of his somewhat estranged dad and his wife’s recently discovered infidelity. In the midst of this chaos Judd begins to develop a relationship with his high school crush Penny, played by Rose Byrne (“Bridesmaids”). Their relationship becomes the romantic focus of the movie.

Judd’s siblings each have their own subplot. Wendy Altman, played by Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), finds herself in a broken marriage and looks for answers in her old relationship with the family’s brain-damaged neighbor. This relationship is rather mysterious at the beginning of the film. Paul Altman, actor Corey Stoll (“House of Cards”), and his wife Annie, actress Kathryn Hahn (“Step Brothers”), can’t get pregnant. They also must deal with constant prodding from the rest of the family over the fact that Annie is Judd’s ex-girlfriend.

Rounding out the siblings is Phillip Altman, actor Adam Driver (“Girls”), the youngest child/playboy/burnout of the family, who seeks approval in the inexplicable relationship with his girlfriend Tracy, actress Connie Britton (“Nashville”). On top of these issues the siblings have live with each other again under the watchful eye of their overly sexed mother Hillary, played by Jane Fonda (“The Newsroom”).

If this is starting to overwhelm you, that’s because it is mind-bogglingly complex. The movie suffers because it tries to pack too many stories into an hour and 45 minutes. It feels as if they signed the stars first and then wrote the movie around them, despite the fact that the film is based on a book.

Most of the plotlines ended up appearing either shallow or rushed as a result, particularly in the cases of Wendy’s husband and Tracy. Both characters had hints of complexity, but the movie never spent enough time with them for it to matter. Their stories were either completely wrapped up in a couple awkward lines of dialogue or had little screen time.

“This Is Where I Leave You” was also emotionally plateaued throughout. Overlapping plotlines were hitting different notes simultaneously, canceling each other out in terms of the moods they were setting. As a result, the tone of the movie at the beginning felt identical to what it was at the end. It didn’t help that many of the jokes simply fell flat, undercutting the film’s attempts to rely on moments of comedy to add some emotional variety to the experience.

That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t have its bright spots. There are some truly funny moments particularly from Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”), who plays the young family rabbi Philip. Judd’s story is another exception because it was developed and thought-out. Although it doesn’t break much narrative ground, it keeps the audience invested.

Fey also gives a very believable performance as Wendy. For two actors known for their comedic work, the chemistry between her and Bateman, in some of the more serious scenes, is actually the highlight of the film.

However, in the end, the movie just feels crowded. If you are a staunch Tina Fey and Jason Bateman fan and have been waiting to see them in movie together, then I’d say “This Is Where I Leave You” is worth your time. Otherwise, I can’t recommend it.

2 out of 5 stars