This is Where I Leave You, and leave you to ponder

It's been more than 20 years since The Big Chill reunited college friends for the funeral of one of their gang, and Canadian producer/director Shawn Levy (Night At The Museum, Date Night) updates the idea with the forced coming together of a highly dysfunctional Jewish family following the death of their father. It's a blend of comedy and nostalgia; the top-shelf cast making light work of the sometimes ridiculous antics that screenwriter Jonathan Tropper works into the highly contrived plot.

Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) looses his wife, his job and his father all in the opening moments of the story. Travelling alone to his dad's funeral, he meets up with sister Wendy (Tina Fey), mother Hillary (Jane Fonda) and brothers Paul (Corey Stoll) and Phillip (Adam Driver). Forced to observe their father's last wish that they sit together for seven days, the foibles, fantasies and faults of this highly strung, highly verbal family (and their various partners and lovers) don't take long to emerge.

Judd pretends his wife is absent because of a bad back and rediscovers old flame Penny (Rose Byrne). Corey and his wife are desperate to have babies, and Adam – the irresponsible younger son – is dating his psychiatrist possibly because she resembles his mother. Wendy has her hands full with a poo-obsessed two-year-old and a husband who seems elsewhere, and the matriarch of the family, Hillary, is most keen to impress everyone with her spectacular new breast implants. Grieving widow, I don't think so.

Like The Big Chill, the film derives its energy from the supreme narcissism of its characters and it has a perpetual sit-com feel, the one-liners and plot gags emerging as individuals who have no choice but to be together, rub up against each others' personality flaws. But there's a warm sense of reassurance throughout – lovers and partners may not last the distance, but this family will stick together through whatever mayhem they bring upon themselves.

Bateman anchors the film with his fine portrayal of the troubled sibling, and Byrne shines as the woman who might just provide him some solace. Much of the comic force (and farce) comes from Driver and Fonda who both clearly enjoyed every moment of their often-physical performances. Fey proves she can do more than comedy, her character bouncing from aggression to nostalgia and back again, as she too remembers better days.

There are laughs and there are moments that might stimulate the tear-ducts, but it's all a little try-too-hard to rise much higher than an extended episode of Friends.