I had the unfortunate luck of watching Life As A House. That sounds harsh, but I have my reasons. First, there was so much hype going in that I had to talk myself down throughout the film and the expectations, and second, I had to sit through this whole film without ever being saved from this forced tearjerker.
Everyone has talked about how wonderful Kevin Kline is in this film. That is true. As a matter of fact, I often felt like Kline had to pull back his performance, as the movie can’t keep up with his prowess.
This house revolves around Kline’s character, George, who is fired and on the same day finds out he is dying of cancer. Instead of finding a new job and going on with life, he decides to rebuild his crappy house on the ocean. The metaphor is painfully apparent. Along the way, George enlists his druggy son, Sam, to help, hoping his metaphorical rise will rub off.
After all of this there are a handful of subplots that seem to sink into the ocean that peaks around every corner. Sometimes you go to a movie and a soap opera breaks out. There is nothing really complimentary about this film except Kline, its savior. Without Kline, this film doesn’t get a second of praise or talk of Oscars. Either way, the film isn’t worthy.
+ charlie craine
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