Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 21:59:13

Horrible And Morally Offensive

....I'm astonished that this movie got such positive feedback and get offended when people say it is nearly as good as "A Walk To Remember." They are both redemption stories, that is true, but there is a galaxy of difference between the two movies. In this regard, "Life as a House" it is neither soup nor wet bread, as we say in Italy; therefore, it fails to accomplish its very purpose. Let me explain; I got the movie because the back cover said it was a story about redemption and renovation. Now, if viewers want to watch this kind of movie, it is because they like redemption stories, right? If they like redemption stories, it means that they care (at least a bit) about morality, right? Otherwise, why care about redemption, redemption from what? Do you see my point? Good. Then, why in the world would you present a (completely unnecessary) subplot with the mother of the female protagonist engaging in a ... relationship with a teenage friend ... of her daughter's? What is even worse, why would you not present it in a negative way, but, on the contrary, with a lighthearted approach as if you were showing a funny scene from "Friends?" Don't you realize that this fact alone was fatal and totally bombed the entire movie? At least, in "The Devil's Advocate," Charlize Theron was able to see that all the "nice" people she was surrounded by, behind all their nice appearance and all, were demons of the worst species. But this movie is horrid in its subtlety. It wraps the whole thing in a nice package of rich people living in Orange county with nice homes and fancy cars and at the end, presents the mother as a generous person that helps the protagonist build his house. What a nice lady... Gimme a break. I do not want to mention other morally offensive aspects of the plot, but take my word on it; if you care a bit about morality, do yourself a favor and stay away from this movie.

2012-05-24 07:15:37

One of the most under-rated films of 2001

The excellent cast is without a shadow of doubt the best thing about the movie, so is a script ridden with very few lapses, except for the overtly heavy-handed, superfluous opening (hospital) and ending (giving away of the house) sequences. Director Irwin Winkler and sreenwriter Mark Andrus take heed: the golden adage to good movie-making - "less is more" - always prevails.

2012-05-14 01:48:24

It's a Wonderful "Life"

This movie has all the elements to be the king of all sappy movies. The plot? MIddle aged architect discovers he has cancer, and decides to spend the last few months of his life building a house. In the meantime, he gets back together with his wife, and brings the whole neighborhood together to build this house. The twist? George, after finding out that he only had about three months left, forces his druggie bad boy son to spend the summer with him. Sam, who would really rather be in Tahoe getting high with his friends, ends up getting to know his dad again, and meeting a sweet, but somewhat creepy teenage girl. Guess how it ends?

mayfairequeen 2012-05-13 03:33:25

An Outstanding Movie

What a film to digest. The performances in this movie are Oscar-worthyand riveting. I still can't believe Kevin Kline didn't get at least anod for his performance. Wake up Hollywood! Hayden Christiansen showshe can act outside of science fiction and makes us fall for hislost-boy antics. The circles of stories in this movie are food for themind and soul- reminding us of our own struggles and angst. I was movedbeyond tears or words when I first saw this movie. I recommend it toanyone looking for heart-wrenching, reality-biting drama with an ounceor two of welcomed comedy. It is something you take with you andremember fondly- a movie to open your eyes to life.

2012-05-13 16:12:27

Painful, but with a good pay-off

For someone who has lost loved ones to cancer or other fatal diseases, this movie might be a little too good, a little too emotional. Still, keep watching. The ending is a beautiful pay-off to the viewing experience. The ever-reliable Kevin Kline and scifi favorites Scott Bakula (from the TV shows Enterprise and Quantum Leap) and Hayden Christensen (from Star Wars, Episodes 2 and 3) give their expected good performances; in fact, all of the actors shine in their own way. The writing seems forced at times, but the acting covers up any weaknesses in the script. As you've heard, bring a tissue!

2012-05-13 05:00:26

Very Satisfying movie

This review is from: Life As a House (Amazon Instant Video) My wife and I loved this movie. Kevin Klein still has it after all these years. He can make us laugh ("A fish called Wanda") and now make us cry...The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. Kristin Scott Thomas does an excellent job at bringing out the emotions of the moment. "Young Anakin" does a great job at the troubled youth with teenage angst role. All in all, this movie is not to be missed.

pinkishdarko 2012-05-05 00:04:27

A truly heart warming movie!!

I recently rented this movie thinking "why not, I haven't seen it andit looks pretty good." I had no idea though how beautiful and heartwarming this movie was! I admit, the beginning it a harsh awakeningthat has you sitting cautiously on the couch, but by the end of themovie, you are crying your eyes out feeling different, I don't know howto explain, but the world just seems different around you after themovie's perspective.Kevin Kline was wonderful in the movie bringing a risky, but excellentcharacter to the screen. The relationship between Goerge (Kevin Kline)and Sam (Hayden Christensen) was pure and in a dark way, beautiful. Theway the story fits together and brings the entire community into thestory is great and really tops the movie off.I urge anyone with a heart to see this move, it will give you a muchcleaner perspective to life...

2012-05-04 20:51:05

If you're not afraid to cry...

If you're not afraid to cry, this may be the film for you. I've read a number of positive and negative reviews of the movie and they seem to be split along the lines of those who can get into the emotions of the characters and those who stand back and judge the events as sappy. It might be interesting to know the ages and sexes of the reviewers. Count me in as one who loved the film. I am a big fan of Kevin Kline. I've never seen him give a bad performance. Here he shines, once again, as a troubled fellow, George, whose life was given a bad start by his abusive father. He has managed to hold down a job as a model-builder in an architect's office for twenty years but admits that he has hated every moment of it. He seems to be a failure all over the place. His marriage broke up ten years earlier; his beautiful wife Robin,(Kristen Scott Thomas) has moved on to a life of luxury with another man and two more children. Sam, the son they had together is a drugged out teen who makes life miserable for everyone around him; even his mother can't stand him. George's condition is perfectly symbolized by his unpainted shack of a house, which is the eyesore of the beautiful Malibu neighborhood. As life would have it, this depressing situation comes to a head one very bad day when George loses his job in the morning, and then collapses and hears that he only has a few months left to live. But, in the spirit of the film "sometimes good things come out of bad." At least George decides to make the most of his last months. This takes the form, initially, of tearing down the shack and replacing it with something he would really like to build. In the process, he re-esatablishes contact with Sam (beautifully played by Hayden Christensen), and Robin and the whole bunch which was dysfunctional in the extreme, come together in a more loving, meaningful way. I admit that even I found the ending a little too much, but if the intention of the film is to show human redemption, then it succeeded admirably. George has broken the effects of parental neglect by refusing to pass it on to his son. Then Sam makes amends for a terrible act that George's father committed years before. It's a wonderful story, very well acted by all the principles and definitely worth seeing. It is visually quite gorgeous too; sunny Southern California is looking its best.

Francesco Scinico 2012-05-04 05:17:19

Horrible and Morally Offensive

Attention, spoilers.I'm astonished that this movie got such positive reviews. I rented the moviebecause the back cover said it was a story about redemption and renovation.Now, if viewers want to watch this kind of movie, it is because they likeredemption stories, right? If they like redemption stories, it means thatthey care (at least a bit) about morality, right? Otherwise, why care aboutredemption? Redemption from what? Do you see my point? Good. Then, why inthe world would you present a (completely unnecessary) subplot with a yuppiemother engaging in a sexual relationship with a teenage pimp? What is evenworse, why would you not present the whole thing as morally detestable, but,on the contrary, with a lighthearted approach as if you were showing a funnyscene from `Friends?' Don't you realize that this fact alone was fatal andtotally bombed the entire movie? At least, in `The Devil's Advocate,'Charlize Theron was able to see that all the `nice' people she wassurrounded by, behind all their nice appearance and all, were demons of theworst species. But this movie is horrid in its subtlety. It shows morallyperverted things and wants me to buy them just because it wraps them up in anice package of rich people living in Orange County with beautiful homes andfancy cars. But there's more! At the end, it even presents the woman as agenerous person that helps the protagonist build his house. What a nicelady… Gimme a break. I do not want to mention other morally offensiveaspects of the plot, but take my word on it; if you care a bit aboutmorality, do yourself a favor and stay away from this movie.

2012-05-03 12:33:24

The best movie I have ever seen!!!

This movie - Life as a House - is the best I have ever seen! It's actually the reason why I bought a new DVD player a few weeks ago, one that plays all regional codes. Because, you see, this movie never made it into German movie theaters. I did however see a report about it on BBC World, and have been obsessed with it ever since. Now that I have watched the movie I'm more than glad that I did buy that new player and the DVD. Life as a House is a real movie with real characters! It's a movie full of emotion, from anger and hatred to love and understanding. All of the actors turned in Oscar-worthy performances, but I must say that I was most impressed with Hayden Christensen, who makes you feel all the pain that is going on in his character Sam. Hayden is an amazing actor who will win his Oscar one day, I'm sure of that. Do not miss out on this movie - it's at times funny, at times sad, it's thought-provocative, and most importantly, it's honest! It's a shame that a movie like this didn't get the attention it so deserves!

2012-05-01 10:05:55

HELP ME!

HELP ME!I NEED to know where this movie was filmed! Its location is absolutely amazing!

Serkan Okar 2012-04-30 21:51:35

The Best Movie Of The Year - A New American Beauty

George (Kevin Cline) is an architectural designer who loses his job andrealizes that he has become terminally ill with cancer in the same day. Hisex-wife, Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas) is living with her new husband andchildren, one of whom is the introvert, troubled teenage son Sam (HaydenKristen) who is into drugs. George, now unemployed and confused, decides totear his shack down and build a house. He also wishes to heal hisrelationships with the people around him, mostly with his teenage son, Sam,who is forced to spend a month in his father's place while he is buildingthe house. George's next door neighbour is an oversexed woman whom he hasdated before. Her equally oversexed daughter, who is already going to sameschool with Sam gets a chance to get close to him once he starts hisfather's shack. One of George's neighbour is quite angry with George's dogwho constantly p****s on his car or morning paper. It doesn't take longsince George's last project starts to change the lifes of others around him.What I liked: This is a very well done movie in which human emotions areconveyed very realistically through good performances, best of which comesfrom Hayden Christensen who plays Sam; Hayden Christensen was really thebest part of the movie and he really deserves an Oscar nomination. He isvery natural and does an excellent job of portraying a troubled, confusedteenager kid who is introvert but willing to open up if approached in theright way. His latent potential of giving and receiving love starts tosurface during the project of building the new house. Screenplay is highlysophisticated, successfully portraying many diverse characters who becomeinvolved with another. The scenes are nicely shot and quite stylish. What I didn't like: There isn't really much that I disliked about Life As AHouse although you may find building a new house for a man who is dying notvery logical. I also think that Robin's husband's character was hastilyestablished for he changed so fast from displaying one character to another.I enjoyed every moment of Life As A House and I think it is one of the bestmovies of the year; I highly recommend it. If you like inspiring dramas suchas "The Ice Storm" and "American Beauty", the chances you will enjoy Life AsA House is very high.Possible Oscar Nominations: Hayden Christensen (Best Supporting Actor),Kevin Cline (Best Leading Actor), The Best Picture, The Best Director, TheBest Screenplay, Best Cinematography.

2012-04-27 16:56:16

Two stars for the good acting. This is for "feel good," tearjerker fans.

Almost everyone writing reviews of this film love to cry, apparently. The acting is good, but the film becomes much too "feel good" for me. (One of the shmaltzy musical background bits almost made me stop watching it.) (I recorded it from TV.) I did watch it all the way through, though, and I liked Kevin Kline's acting.For me, the test of a really good film is to want to keep it in my film collection, to see it again sometime. This one got erased as the final credits were rolling. The ending of the film, which some people loved, made me want to erase the film as fast as possible. :-)

daelomin 2012-04-27 12:53:34

The Last Look in The Mirror...

The Last Look in The Mirror... This one is Hollywoodian and yetsubtle.Having the strength to look at yourself and simply *admit* that the last 10years of your life were a total failure is hard thing to do. Even more whenlife is coming to an end...It's even harder to film it in a delicate, not too emotional way. This moviealmost succeeded in doing that yet it has some of the oh-so-Hollywoodianfeatures, which brings it to a very good movie, whereas it could have beengreat.Yet I just love that movie. When he asks for a model to take with him and isdenied that (when he just got fired), he takes the one he wants and trashesall the rest to finally confront his boss:"You're a great architect but a lousy human being.- Yeah? Well you're not even an architect and you're a lousy humanbeing!- ...You're right. You win."Further than sarcasm, there's the redemption (and I mean it in a totally nonreligious way) of a man finally able to acknowledge how lame he's become.Now that's the toughest thing to do, and it takes a lot of courage to beable to do it.Kevin Kline is just perfect for the role.9/10.

gatencio 2012-04-27 11:10:04

Worth watching film

Kevin Kine and Hayden Christensen give powerful performances as father andson in this well directed film. Worth to also mention - Mary Steenburgeninthe supportive role of the mother of Christense's love interest. Althoughher role is small, she has never been better, not at least since herbreakthrough role in Melvin and Howard. Worth watching this movie butbringthe kleenex.

rhollingsworth 2012-04-26 22:55:41

End bothered me ** HUGE HAIRY MAJOR SPOILER **

Spoiler herein. Don't read this if you have not seen thefilm.This may seem so stupid, but, if a film contains something that just cannothappen in the context of the story, it's spoiled for me. Here it is: howmuch would you say the finished house is worth? This rather nice edificeright on a bluff overlooking the Pacific? Two, maybe three million? Whatever, I'd say the father's estate would have had a federal estate taxliability of over a half million just for the house, and he didn't appear tohave any other assets. If neither the estate nor the son had the cash topay it, the house would have had to be sold to pay the tax. Then, afterinheriting it, the son gives the house away! Wham, the federal gift taxapplies, calculated at the same rates. The son would have had the liability.I know most people won't be bothered by this, but, if you're a financialplanner, then, just as you are wiping your eyes at the end, you will say,"Aw, hell, that couldn't happen!" Unless you want to believe the IRS couldget caught up in the emotion of the moment -- naw. I agree with the otherreviewers that the actors did a fine job here.

George Parker 2012-04-26 03:20:44

A good ol' fashioned Hollywood product in a modern wrapper

"Life is a House" tells of a dying architect (Klein) who razes hisdilapidated shanty and builds a new home. The house in "...House" is ametaphor..tearing down the old, building the new, putting asunder oldregrets while erecting a legacy for those left behind. Entertaining thoughcontrived, "...House" sports a solid cast, doesn't get too weepy or sappy,is full of poignancy, and sanitized for audience protection. In the finalanalysis, "...House" delivers good old fashioned three star Hollywoodentertainment which will be enjoyed by all but the mostcynical.

2012-04-25 16:49:49

When "Life" Happens

Somebody once said that "life" is what happens when you're not looking. And it's so true. Too often we let the years slip by, and the important things slip right along with them; and it's only when something happens that we start to pay attention, and by then it's too late to do anything about it. The good news, however, is that as long as you're still breathing there's still a chance to make amends, or at least try to. You can try, not to make up for past mistakes (and we've all made them), but to make "today" count, which is what a man at a particular juncture in his life discovers and sets out to do, in "Life As A House," directed by Irwin Winkler, and starring Kevin Kline.George Monroe (Kline) is an architect, a man who can design anything, with the exception of that which is the most important: His own life. He has a failed marriage-- now divorced for ten years from Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas)-- a failed relationship with his now sixteen-year-old son, Sam (Hayden Christensen), he's getting on in years and he's unhappy, which is driven home by circumstances involving his job and his health that make him abruptly sit up and take notice. His "house," literally and figuratively, in not in order. And he decides to do something about it. He's determined to tear down his old house and rebuild a new one, and he begins by arranging for Sam to come and live with him for the summer. And it will be a summer that will affect, not only George and Sam, but Robin, and a number of others, as well; a summer in which the trivial things of life are put on hold; and for once, the important things are embraced.Working from a well written and insightful screenplay (by Mark Andrus), Winkler delivers a drama that is thoughtful and poignant (at times, even poetic), wonderfully acted and beautifully filmed by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. Rich in metaphor, it's an engrossing film that works on a number of levels, and will appeal to a wide audience-- many of whom will relate to George and his situation, others who will identify with Sam; and for some, it may hit strikingly too close to home. Whatever your personal situation is, it will fall somewhere within the emotional arc Winkler creates here; and if it doesn't now, it will eventually. Because, as this film so trenchantly points out, "life" happens. And the most important thing is knowing what to do with it-- if not the first time around, then at least before it's too late.He received an Oscar for his portrayal of Otto in the comedy "A Fish Called Wanda," but Kevin Kline decidedly hits his stride in dramatic roles: As Nathan in "Sophie's Choice," Mack in "Grand Canyon" or Ben in "The Ice Storm," for example; and now here, as George Monroe. Kline brings George believably to life, with a performance that hints at who George was, but most importantly tells us who he is now. With understated subtly, he conveys his inner-most feelings in a way that enables the audience to make that all-important emotional connection with the character. He makes you feel as though you know him; and once you do, and once you meet Robin, it's hard to understand what went wrong between them all those years ago. One can only assume that somewhere along the line youth and a lack of focus took it's toll-- understandable in a world that bombards us daily with endless stimuli. And it's one of the subtle perspectives that makes this film so effective.Kristin Scott Thomas gives a convincing performance, as well, as Robin, a woman who has moved on with her life, but in whom you can discern a certain dissatisfaction with her current situation. On the surface, her life seems agreeable, but we see through her portrayal that it is still lacking in some regard. She seems happy to some extent, but it's more like the unfulfilled happiness that comes when one has "settled" for something. You get the sense that what she has with her current husband, Peter (Jamey Sheridan), is somehow less than what she had with George, at least at some point or other. Thomas does a good job of indicating the complexities of her character, dipping beneath the surface to make what could have been a one-note character alive and interesting.One of the real rewards of this film, however, is found in the wonderfully affecting performance of young Hayden Christensen, as Sam. With but a few TV appearances and a handful of unremarkable films to his credit (the exception being a part in Sophia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides"), Christensen is virtually an unknown, but comes through with some extremely impressive work here. He not only finds, but manages to convey, that turmoil of confusion and need for personal identity that every teenager experiences, and he presents it quite naturally and effectively. There's nothing feigned or pretentious about him; the Sam he delivers comes from somewhere deep down inside, and working from the inside out makes him very real and believable. It's a performance that should jump-start his career, which is about to be catapulted into high gear/high profile status when "Star Wars: Episode 2, Attack of the Clones" hits the screen, in which he plays the role of Anakin Skywalker. And because of the magnitude of that film and all that goes along with it, he will never receive the acclaim he deserves, no matter how good a job he does in it; so it's important that he has this film under his belt, which demonstrates what a truly gifted young actor he really is, a fact that may be overlooked once "Clones" hits (which is what happened to Leonardo DiCaprio after "Titanic"). And Christensen's performance here is a big part of what makes "Life As A House" a winner.

meeza 2012-04-19 11:42:26

I Will Not Build It Up Too Much But It Does Stand Tall!

Go get your handkerchiefs out of your bedroom and take them with you whenyou go see `Life As A House'. This one is built around a dying architect whohas 4 months to live and decides to build a house with his estranged gothicson. Star Kevin Kline's performance is one that there should be room forwhen the Best Actor Oscar nominations are announced next February. Eventhough we have seen the dying man one-last-wish formula before, it isconstructed here in a way that is both melancholic and amusing. The onlything that I would stick up in the basement would be Kristin Scott Thomas'sperformance as the confused ex-wife. Kristin, who was wonderful in suchfilms as `Four Weddings and a Funeral' & `The English Patient', was a bitlame here and would make me want to go to the bathroom every time she wason-screen. Sorry Kristin! Anyways, guys- `Life As A House' is a great datefilm that will make your honey mushy so you could make its home video sequela few hours later in your house- `Sex All Over The House'. Ok! Ok! I willstop before you kick me out of the house! Please make sure you get out ofyour house now and go visit `Life As A House'.**** Good

2012-04-19 00:22:00

Good, thought provoking movie

I basically rented this movie to see the next Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen), but walked away from this movie extremely impressed. It is truly a great story and the acting is exceptional, especially Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen. I found "Life as a House" very inspirational and I highly recommend it.