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    		•

    FILMS

    Life as a House (2001)
  • Starring Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen, Mike Weinberg, Scotty Leavenworth, Ian Somerhalder, Jamey Sheridan, Scott Bakula

  • Directed by Irwin Winkler


    • The title is a little silly, a little too touchy-feely for me. It telegraphs that this is the type of movie that critics will praise as "heartwarming" or "feel-good" or "tender." Then again, I guess from a marketing standpoint this makes sense. It's a nice metaphor within the movie, I just happen to think that it's a bit too much for the title. Of course, I'm not in charge of things like this—I wish I were, but I'm not—so what does it matter what I think? Right?

    (Fair spoiler warning: I'm about to give away bunches of plot. Continue at your own risk.)

    Despite my disapproval of the title, I really like this movie. It's has no trick ending, or action, or adventure, or wild, blockbuster, Hollywood special effects. There are no explosions. No one breaks down on the stand. There are no foot-chases through the streets of New York. Nothing crazy happens.

    This is a simple story, simply told. It's the story of a miserable man (Kline) who's had a moderate life, and who wishes to do something extraordinary in the last summer he'll ever see. He's dying of some inoperable brain-something (the film never says) and wants to reconnect with his son (Christensen) who is in dire need of either a big hug or a hard-core pummeling by the Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket. It's a family story. A dying story. A coming-together-and-bonding story. But most of all, it's a good story—if not a little longish.

    Kevin Kline has a lot to do with this. There's no one else in this movie that really makes it worthwhile. This is not to say that the other actors aren't good, but they wouldn't draw me to the film. Kevin Kline portrays a very real father, floundering, making mistakes, and trying to do the right thing. He speaks very frankly with his son which is incredibly refreshing to see. I think too often parents try and be their childrens' friend first and be their parents second.

    Christensen is very good in this film, too. Be forewarned: His character is excruciatingly obnoxious and spoiled for the first half of Life as a House. But that's intentional. He's a messed-up teenager. Felt fairly real to me. After about half-way through the film he stops channeling a gothic, drugged-out Anakin Skywalker (House was filmed post-Episode II) and starts to become his own person. And he's a good person making reasonably good choices. He's not perfect, he's human.

    For me, there's not a whole lot in Life as a House that warrants discussion. It's simple and straight-forward and has some very tender and genuine moments. If I were dying in the same manner as Kline's character, I'd like to think that I'd be able to hold it together as well as he does.

    The film ends, more or less, with Kline's character dying. But it's a strange kind of death because Kline is narrating the movie. It's always bizarre for me to listen to a dead guy narrating the story. Where's he telling us the story from? Heaven? Perhaps he's writing a letter and this movie is us reading the letter. Either way it's not terribly important. (Kevin Spacey also does this post-mortem narration in American Beauty.)

    If there's one thing that I really admire in Life as a House is the house. No, I'm not being a smartass. The home they build in this film is incredible! I wish I had one, right on the Pacific Ocean. What a view!