Pratik Handore
Based on author Jonathan Tropper’s eponymous 2009 novel, ‘This Is Where I Leave You’ is a 2014 family comedy-drama film directed by Shawn Levy (‘The Adam Project‘). It stars Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Jane Fonda, and Corey Stoll in the lead roles. The film tells the story of the Altman siblings, who are forced live under one roof after their father’s death. As the dysfunctional family deals with grief and several individual emotional issues, they learn to rely on each other and get reacquainted with the neighborhood they grew up in. As a result, it is neutral for viewers to wonder where the Altman siblings grew up. In that case, here is everything you need to know about the setting of ‘This Is Where I Leave You.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Westchester County: Real-Life Inspiration
‘This Is Where I Leave You’ follows Judd Altman (Jason Bateman), who is dealing with his wife’s infidelity when he learns of his father’s demise. As a result, Judd returns to his childhood hometown and reunites with his mother, Hilary Altman (Jane Fonda), and siblings. The four siblings, Judd, Paul (Corey Stoll), Wendy (Tina Fey), and Phillip (Adam Driver), are forced to stay at their childhood home and observe a week-long shiva to grieve their father. Consequently, Judd and his siblings explore their childhood hometown, which lends a certain personality to the story.
The film states that the Altman siblings grew up in a town in New York State. During one scene, Rabbi Charles “Boner” Grodner (Ben Schwartz) mentions the town’s name is Elmsbrook. The town is situated in New York, and Elmsbrook is the home of the Altman family’s Altman Sporting Goods shop. However, Elmsbrook is a fictional town and does not exist in reality. Nonetheless, the fictional town serves as the primary setting of the movie’s events. Elmsbrook, New York, seems inspired by towns in Westchester County, New York.
The film is based on author Jonathan Tropper’s 2009 novel of the same name. Like its film adaptation, the book is set in Elmsbrook, New York. Tropper’s experiences partially inspire the book. The author grew up in New Rochelle, a town in Westchester County, New York. However, the town’s name seems derived from another Westchester village known as Elmsford. Some of the locations that appear in the book and the film seem to be a representation of Elmsford.
The movie was partially filmed in parts of Westchester County, such as Rye and New Rochelle. Therefore, it is safe to say that the towns serve as a stand-in for the fictional Elmsbrook, New York. Tropper spoke about how the filming locations helped craft the fictional town in an interview with Westchester Magazine.
“We don’t make any specific Westchester references, but we did shoot sections in Rye and in New Rochelle. We used downtown Rye as one of our neighborhood streets, and we shot one of the backyard scenes right around the corner from my house in New Rochelle. We also shot at a synagogue in Rye,” Tropper said. Thus, it is safe to say that Elmsbrook, New York, is inspired by several towns in Westchester County.
Read More: Do Judd and Penny End Up Together in This is Where I Leave You?
