We first learn, via Narrator Lewis Black, that Nathan (Ben Schwartz), the youngest of the four Meyerwitz siblings, has recently written a tell-all book, exposing embarrassing details about each of his family members. Throughout the course of the movie, we learn about the struggles that each siblings deal with. Oldest brother Jack (Michael C. Hall) struggles with his failing architecture business, Cheri (Sarah Silverman) finds coping with the release of the book incredibly difficult (especially since they’re filming the movie version of the book right outside her apartment window), and Joel (Rainn Wilson), the screw-up (it took him eight times to pass the Bar Exam).
Overall, this film is quite well-constructed and incredibly funny. At one point, during the dinner, Joel’s girlfriend Mary, (Taraji P. Henson) remarks, “All this over a book? I’ve got cousins that shot each other and they got over it.” However, at 98 minutes, this movie felt much too brief. Though Himmelstein got a good start with the characterization, including interesting and realistic details of each sibling, more time should have been spent on each of their stories. Extending the movie a bit more to discuss childhood and early adulthood might have been more effective. Though the movie isn’t quite as extensive as it should have been, it’s characters and all their issues still make this a highly entertaining, hilarious film.