The focal point of this movie is geared towards the ups and downs the Altman siblings encounter in their personal lives and unwittingly demonstrates the power of sibling bonding and rivalry. The Altman siblings are classified as disengaged due to their lack of communication with each other. Their mother Hilary Altman knows that her adult children need to reunite and grieve the recent loss of their father. They are reluctant about reuniting because they feel ashamed of their personal life choices. Deep down inside, their mother feels they need one another especially since the passing of their father. She decided to plan a shiva. This ceremony is a Jewish tradition that honors the passing of loved ones. Family and friends reunite for seven days to share stories and have a feast.

This movie can be utilized as part of counseling practices when assisting adult clients with certain family issues such as hierarchy structure, loss of a parent, gender issues, and the power of sibling bonding and rivalry. The shiva ceremony hinges upon the Narrative Model because of its storytelling component. If clients can observe how the Altmans handle their grief through humor and storytelling, they may begin to share and heal the grief they are currently experiencing that pertains to their loss of a loved one. Additionally, this movie can assist professors who teach family counseling courses because it focuses on family systems, specifically sibling subsystems. Use of this movie to address grief and family issues is not appropriate with some clients and should be used with caution.