This Is Where I Leave You: 5 Changes the Movie Made From the Book

Updated on Sep 20, 2014 at 10:00 AM

The adaptation of Jonathan Tropper's beloved book This Is Where I Leave You comes to theaters this week, and while the movie is actually quite loyal to the novel (Tropper also wrote the screenplay), there are several notable differences. It's not just memorable scenes that were cut, but a couple names were also changed, and there are reasons why for some of these, too. Warning: there are spoilers ahead for those who don't know the story.

Judd's Wife's Name

In the movie, Judd's beautiful cheating wife is named Quinn (Abigail Spencer), but in the book, she's the much less exotically named Jen. Does it fit her better?

The Foxmans Are Now the Altmans

Here's another name change that we actually have a reason for. The book follows the Foxman family, but in the movie, they've been renamed the Altmans. Why the change? At BookCon, director Shawn Levy told Entertainment Weekly it was a legal thing: "You have to submit names of all the characters, and if there are real people with those names in the community or area represented in the movie, you can’t use that name. And we didn’t want to change the first names." He and author Tropper came up with Altman together after Tropper said they were "emailing back and forth vaguely Jewish names."

Paul's Devastating High School Accident Was Left Out

In the book, there's more of a simmering resentment from Paul (Corey Stoll) toward his little brother Judd (Jason Bateman). In a heartbreaking flashback sequence, we learn that back in high school, Paul defended his little brother against a bully, and for his effort, he was attacked by a Rottweiler who shredded his throwing arm, ending his burgeoning football career. In the movie, there's no sad tale, just a little bit of weirdness between them since Judd had dated Paul's now-wife.

Wendy Doesn't Punch Wade, Phillip Does

Wade (Dax Shepard) is the man Judd's wife cheats on him with, and he gets what's coming to him when big sister Wendy (Tina Fey) clocks him in the face. But that's not how it goes down in the book. Instead, it's little brother Phillip (Adam Driver) who punches Wade, but Tropper and Levy decided to change it for the movie. "Wendy is always giving advice to Judd, but we thought it would be good to have Tina make Wendy stand up for her brother and take out Wade," Levy told EW. Fey also came up with the insults Shepard's character uses on her in the scene.

How the Family Finds Out About Hillary's Relationship

In the book, grieving widow Hillary (Jane Fonda) is spotted sneaking out of the house of her friend-turned-lover, Linda (Debra Monk), in the early morning. But in the movie, Hillary boldly locks lips with Linda as a dramatic gesture to stop a fight among her sons.