LIFE AS A HOUSE / (2001) **** (out of four)
(Possible spoilers ahead)
What would you do if you only had a few months to live? Would you spend your precious time dealing with the sudden, shocking news? Would you fall into webs of depression and despair? Or would you take advantage of the time you had and accomplish the things you've always wanted to do? Irwin Winkler's "Life as a House" asks us these questions, and while the movie's final outcome is inevitable, the end of the road isn't the topic here. It's the journey itself that makes this trip worthwhile.
"Life as a House" does recycle material from other movies, most obviously from "American Beauty," but that's beside the point. This treasure of a motion picture creates something beautiful and uplifting, who cares where the ideas came from. It reminds us that there are very few original ideas out there, but that does not mean derived ideas cannot inspire an effective production.
While the film has opened to some mediocre reviews and may find itself swept under the rug with competition like "Monsters, Inc." and "Harry Potter," "Life as a House" blows most of this year's best films out of the water. It connects with audiences like no other production I have seen all year.
The film stars Kevin Kline as George, a bland name for a bland character. Much like "American Beauty's" center character, George hates his career, his lifestyle, and the disconnection with his family. His ex-wife (Kristen Scott Thomas), now married to a materialistic moneybags (Jamie Sheridan), struggles daily with her rebellious, drug-addicted teenage son, Sam (Hayden Christenen). These are not happy people, and the movie never pretends otherwise.
Suddenly, everything changes for George. He is fired from his job-not necessarily a bad thing-then learns he has terminal cancer-a bad thing. He instantly wakes up to his current situation, and decides to spend his final months building. As an experienced architect, he cashes his life insurance policy to tear down his old shack and build the house of his dreams. In the process, he hopes to rebuild various relationships within his family.
"Life as a House" might sound like a gentle, touching fable of self-redemption, but it's often quite harsh. Mark Andrus' screenplay gives the material a hard edge. The opening scenes feature indecent exposure, urination, and disturbing drug content. Although this is not your typical Irwin Winkler film, he does use the edgy content to grab us by the collar and pull us in.
With credits like "As Good as it Gets," Andrus has a reputation for solid writing, and his talents show through here. He uses many conventional Hollywood devices, but they work surprisingly well. It steadily builds enough emotional tension to cut with a knife. By the end of this movie, the characters feel so real, the dialogue so sincere, the themes so universal, the issues so personal, and the performances so inspiring, I wished I would have brought a box of tissues into the theater with me.
It's one thing to admire the emotional grasp of a movie, but it's another when we become so intently involved in a movie that it triggers a real emotional response. "Life as a House" is a powerful, moving, poignant, and unforgettable feature. It's the season's most encouraging treat.
(Possible spoilers ahead)
What would you do if you only had a few months to live? Would you spend your precious time dealing with the sudden, shocking news? Would you fall into webs of depression and despair? Or would you take advantage of the time you had and accomplish the things you've always wanted to do? Irwin Winkler's "Life as a House" asks us these questions, and while the movie's final outcome is inevitable, the end of the road isn't the topic here. It's the journey itself that makes this trip worthwhile.
"Life as a House" does recycle material from other movies, most obviously from "American Beauty," but that's beside the point. This treasure of a motion picture creates something beautiful and uplifting, who cares where the ideas came from. It reminds us that there are very few original ideas out there, but that does not mean derived ideas cannot inspire an effective production.
While the film has opened to some mediocre reviews and may find itself swept under the rug with competition like "Monsters, Inc." and "Harry Potter," "Life as a House" blows most of this year's best films out of the water. It connects with audiences like no other production I have seen all year.
The film stars Kevin Kline as George, a bland name for a bland character. Much like "American Beauty's" center character, George hates his career, his lifestyle, and the disconnection with his family. His ex-wife (Kristen Scott Thomas), now married to a materialistic moneybags (Jamie Sheridan), struggles daily with her rebellious, drug-addicted teenage son, Sam (Hayden Christenen). These are not happy people, and the movie never pretends otherwise.
Suddenly, everything changes for George. He is fired from his job-not necessarily a bad thing-then learns he has terminal cancer-a bad thing. He instantly wakes up to his current situation, and decides to spend his final months building. As an experienced architect, he cashes his life insurance policy to tear down his old shack and build the house of his dreams. In the process, he hopes to rebuild various relationships within his family.
"Life as a House" might sound like a gentle, touching fable of self-redemption, but it's often quite harsh. Mark Andrus' screenplay gives the material a hard edge. The opening scenes feature indecent exposure, urination, and disturbing drug content. Although this is not your typical Irwin Winkler film, he does use the edgy content to grab us by the collar and pull us in.
With credits like "As Good as it Gets," Andrus has a reputation for solid writing, and his talents show through here. He uses many conventional Hollywood devices, but they work surprisingly well. It steadily builds enough emotional tension to cut with a knife. By the end of this movie, the characters feel so real, the dialogue so sincere, the themes so universal, the issues so personal, and the performances so inspiring, I wished I would have brought a box of tissues into the theater with me.
It's one thing to admire the emotional grasp of a movie, but it's another when we become so intently involved in a movie that it triggers a real emotional response. "Life as a House" is a powerful, moving, poignant, and unforgettable feature. It's the season's most encouraging treat.