Family is a disaster. Honestly, if you’ve ever sat through a funeral or a wedding where everyone is secretly (or loudly) at each other’s throats, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That’s the core of Sete dias sem fim—or This Is Where I Leave You, if you’re looking for the original Jonathan Tropper title. It’s a movie that came out in 2014, and people still talk about it because it captures that specific, suffocating brand of grief mixed with awkwardness that happens when adult siblings are forced back into their childhood bedrooms.
The setup is basic but brutal.
Four grown siblings have to return home because their father kicked the bucket. But there’s a catch. Their mother, played by the legendary Jane Fonda with some very notable prosthetic enhancements, tells them his dying wish was for them to sit Shiva. That’s seven days of staying under one roof, receiving guests, and basically confronting every bad decision they’ve made in the last decade. It sounds like a standard dramedy setup. It is. But the execution? That’s where things get interesting.
What Sete dias sem fim gets right about being an adult
Most movies about families try to tie everything up with a neat little bow. Everyone hugs, the music swells, and you leave the theater feeling like life is easy. Sete dias sem fim doesn't really do that. It’s messy. Judd Altman, played by Jason Bateman, finds out his wife is sleeping with his boss—his radio shock-jock boss—right before his dad dies. Talk about a bad week.
Bateman does that thing he’s best at: looking perpetually exhausted by everyone else's nonsense. He’s the anchor. But around him, you have Tina Fey as Wendy, who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a guy who cares more about his Bluetooth headset than his kids. Then there’s Adam Driver as Phillip, the "f-up" younger brother who shows up in a Porsche he can't afford with a therapist girlfriend twice his age.
It feels real because the dialogue isn't polished. People interrupt each other. They bring up stuff from twenty years ago just to be mean. It’s that specific family shorthand where you can say one word and ruin someone's entire afternoon.
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The cast is actually insane when you look back at it
Looking at the credits now, it’s wild how many heavy hitters are in this.
- Jason Bateman: The king of the "deadpan reaction."
- Tina Fey: Showing a much more dramatic, vulnerable side than her 30 Rock days.
- Adam Driver: This was right before he became Star Wars famous, and you can see that weird, electric energy he brings to everything.
- Rose Byrne: Playing the "girl who stayed behind" in their hometown.
- Corey Stoll: The oldest brother who stayed to run the family business and is bitter about it.
- Kathryn Hahn: Just being incredible as a woman desperately trying to get pregnant.
When you put these people in a room, you don't even need a plot. You just need to let them talk. The scenes where the brothers are smoking weed in the basement or hiding in the temple feel like actual memories.
The "Shiva" of it all: A cultural backdrop or just a plot device?
There’s been some debate over the years about how "Jewish" the movie actually is. The father was an atheist, yet they are sitting Shiva. Some critics at the time, including those from The Jewish Daily Forward, pointed out that the religious elements are mostly used as a framework for the comedy rather than a deep dive into faith.
Does that matter? Maybe not for a mainstream Hollywood flick.
The seven-day structure is what makes the pacing work. In Sete dias sem fim, the house becomes a pressure cooker. On day one, they’re just annoyed. By day four, they’re punching each other on the front lawn. By day seven, they’ve finally started to see each other as actual people instead of just "the annoying brother" or "the perfect sister."
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It’s about the passage of time. Grieving isn't a linear process where you cry once and you're done. It’s a week of weird jokes, eating too much deli meat, and realizing your parents were just as clueless as you are.
Why the critics were wrong (and why fans love it)
If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, the critics weren't exactly kind. They called it "formulaic" or "crowded." And yeah, okay, it hits the beats you expect from a studio dramedy. But there’s a reason it has such a long tail on streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO.
It’s a comfort movie.
People like seeing that other families are as dysfunctional as theirs. There’s a scene where Wendy (Fey) is talking to her ex-boyfriend (played by Timothy Olyphant, who has a brain injury in the film) and the regret is so thick you can practically taste it. It’s not "funny" in a sitcom way. It’s just sad and beautiful. That’s the balance the movie strikes. It’ll make you laugh because Phillip tripped over a chair, then it’ll punch you in the gut because someone realized they wasted ten years of their life.
Let's talk about that ending
Without spoiling everything if you haven't seen it, the movie doesn't give everyone a "happily ever after."
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Judd doesn't magically get his old life back. Wendy doesn't suddenly find the perfect man. Instead, they just get... movement. They stop being stuck. The dad’s death was a tragedy, but the week they spent together was the "jolt" they needed to stop living on autopilot.
It’s a reminder that sometimes you have to go back to where you started to figure out where you’re going next.
Practical takeaways for your next family gathering
If you find yourself in a situation like the characters in Sete dias sem fim, here is how to survive without losing your mind or getting into a fistfight with your brother-in-law.
- Find a neutral zone. In the movie, it’s the roof or the basement. You need a place where the "family roles" don't apply.
- Forgive the small stuff. Your mom is going to say something passive-aggressive. Your brother is going to brag about his money. Let it slide. They’re hurting too.
- Actually talk. Not about the weather or the food. Talk about the stuff that matters. Judd and his siblings finally found peace when they stopped pretending everything was fine.
- Accept the mess. Families aren't meant to be perfect. They’re meant to be there.
If you haven't watched it in a while, or if you only know it by the title Sete dias sem fim, go back and give it a look. It’s a 103-minute reminder that even if your life is a dumpster fire, you’re probably not the only one in the family holding a match.
The real value of the story isn't in the jokes or the star power. It's in the quiet realization that we only have a limited amount of time with these people who know us best and love us least—or maybe love us most, even when they can't stand us. Watch it for the chemistry between Fey and Bateman, stay for the surprisingly deep reflections on what it means to grow up when you're already an adult.
To get the most out of the experience, try reading Jonathan Tropper’s original book after watching. It has a lot more internal monologue from Judd that helps explain why he’s so cynical. Then, take a look at your own family photos. You might realize your "normal" is just as chaotic as the Altmans'.