Title: "Life As A House"
Director: Irwin Winkler
Producer: R. Cowan and I. Winkler
Editing: Julie Monroe
Composer: Mark Isham
Starring:
- Kevin Kline as George Monroe
- Kristen Scott Thomas as Robin Kimball
- Hayden Christensen as Sam Monroe
- Jena Malone as Alyssa Beck
Plot and Critical Review: George Monroe, a fabricator of architectural models, is fired from the job he has held for twenty years. As he exits the building, he collapses on the pavement and is rushed to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with cancer so advanced the doctor feels any treatment would be futile.
Liberated from a job he hated and funded by his severance package, George decides the time has come to demolish the ramshackle home left to him by his father and replace it with a house more in keeping with the ambiance of his upscale neighborhood. He decides to enlist the aid of his son, angst-ridden and self-loathing Sam, a rebellious, pill-popping, glue-sniffing teenager with blue hair, heavy makeup, and a number of piercings in his ears and under his mouth. The young man is a slacker who has alienated his stepfather Peter and caused untold grief for his mother Robin, who increasingly finds herself unable to cope with the boy's moods. Very much against his will, Sam must spend the summer with George, who has opted not to reveal his condition, and help him with what will be the final project of his life.
As time passes, George slowly reconnects with Sam, who gradually sheds his anti-establishment facade as he and his father become closer. Robin decides to assist as well, and she begins to find herself rediscovering the man she once loved. Also joining in the construction are Alyssa, Sam's classmate who lives in the house next door with her mother Colleen; local policeman Kurt Walker, George's childhood friend; Sam's young half-brothers Adam and Ryan; various neighbors; and eventually Peter, even after separating from Robin when it becomes apparent she has renewed feelings for her ex-husband. Complications arise when cantankerous neighbor David Dokos tries to halt construction because the building's height exceeds the allowable limit by six inches.
George confides in Sam about his difficult relationship with his own father, an abusive man who squandered the family's fortune and killed his wife and seriously injured a young girl in a collision he caused while driving drunk. Upon completion of the house following his father's death, Sam gives it to the woman using a wheelchair as a result of his grandfather's careless actions, certain his father would have approved of his decision to do so.
"Life As A House" never met the fame it deserved. Driven by the exceptional acting of an even more exceptional ensemble, it opened to minimal response in the US and was unable to break even at the box office. Kevin Kline (or "Kevin Decline", the nickname earned for his consistent rejection of high profile roles) once again takes on a character that compliments his strengths as a stage actor. His performance is praiseworthy, as is the appearance of the blossoming Hayden Christensen whose performance as Sam Monroe earned him a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nomination.
My Rating: 6.5/10
Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-3.5 - Sam curses often in the first half of the film, but almost all abusive language disappears by the end.
DU-2.5 - Sam uses several kinds of drugs and steals George's pain medication.
RT-1 - No comment.
H/S-1 - No comment.
CH-1 - No comment.
S/N-3 - Partial nudity is shown several times. There is one sexual scene and another with Sam and Alyssa kissing in the shower. There is also one scene in which sexual contact between Sam and an older man is suggested but not shown.
The "Reel Revelation": "Breaking Through"
Have you ever known someone that was difficult to reach? I don't mean someone who wouldn't return your phone calls or e-mails, but a person who always seemed to be out of your emotional grasp; a person you were never able to get in touch with on a personal level. I suspect we all know people like that; the "wallflower friend" who prefers to keep to themselves rather than be bothered by others. And when we reach out to them, how do they react? They pull away from the group, away from society, and burrow deeper into their own world where no one can touch them. "Life As A House" is about one such person, Sam Monroe, who seems to be far beyond the emotional reach of any person, even his parents and siblings.
In the first "act" of the film we see George make several attempts to reach out to Sam. From nonchalant invitations to aggressive commands George tries to pry open the door and get back into Sam's life; a door we learn has been closed for several years. Sam responds by rebelling against his father, withdrawing from him emotionally and physically, and taking refuge only in his hatred toward his father and the world. It's a miracle that George was able to make any headway with Sam in the first place, much less restore his relationship with his son to working order by the end of the film. Is life that easy? Can we also repair and heal our relationships, restoring them to what we want them to be? Can we break through to the people who seem to be out of reach?
At the heart of the Biblical story is God's ongoing repair of the relationship between the human race and Himself. If you look through the pages of the Scriptures you'll see that there have been both high and low points; moments when we were in blessed communion with Him and moments when we were far off from His presence. And yet, somehow, God broke through to us. But it wasn't easy, and it cost far more than we'll ever know or understand.
"But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:4-6)
This was God's greatest work; sending Jesus into the world to redeem us (buy us back) from our sins and restore the broken relationship between Himself and our fallen race. But how does this knowledge, blessed and great as it is, help us to break through to the ones we love and want to reach? While I cannot suppose to offer an answer to satisfy the complexity of that question, I will at least suggest this much: let us be like Jesus.
When Jesus came into the world, He was born as regular people are born, lived as regular people lived, and endured the hardships all people endure. As we attempt to reach out to the "unreachables", we must look to Jesus' example and follow in his footsteps. We must learn to walk with those who choose to walk a different path, not demand that they suddenly redirect their steps and walk alongside us. Likewise, we ought to pray for the humility to set aside our own inhibitions and hesitations and crawl into the (sometimes) uncomfortable places where the "unreachables" live. Do you think it was easy for George to live with Sam? Probably not, but George's love for his son and his deep desire to reconnect with Sam overwhelmed his own preferences and eventually led to relationship they enjoyed before George passed away.
Remember what Jesus said; "Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." (Rev. 3:20). There's no mention of pounding, sledgehammers, or forceful entry; only a simple knock. For as unreachable as a person might be or seem, will you step out and knock on the door of their life? Will you choose to humble yourself, take on Christ, and go after them as Jesus came after us? Will you?
RT-1 - No comment.
H/S-1 - No comment.
CH-1 - No comment.
S/N-3 - Partial nudity is shown several times. There is one sexual scene and another with Sam and Alyssa kissing in the shower. There is also one scene in which sexual contact between Sam and an older man is suggested but not shown.
The "Reel Revelation": "Breaking Through"
Have you ever known someone that was difficult to reach? I don't mean someone who wouldn't return your phone calls or e-mails, but a person who always seemed to be out of your emotional grasp; a person you were never able to get in touch with on a personal level. I suspect we all know people like that; the "wallflower friend" who prefers to keep to themselves rather than be bothered by others. And when we reach out to them, how do they react? They pull away from the group, away from society, and burrow deeper into their own world where no one can touch them. "Life As A House" is about one such person, Sam Monroe, who seems to be far beyond the emotional reach of any person, even his parents and siblings.
In the first "act" of the film we see George make several attempts to reach out to Sam. From nonchalant invitations to aggressive commands George tries to pry open the door and get back into Sam's life; a door we learn has been closed for several years. Sam responds by rebelling against his father, withdrawing from him emotionally and physically, and taking refuge only in his hatred toward his father and the world. It's a miracle that George was able to make any headway with Sam in the first place, much less restore his relationship with his son to working order by the end of the film. Is life that easy? Can we also repair and heal our relationships, restoring them to what we want them to be? Can we break through to the people who seem to be out of reach?
At the heart of the Biblical story is God's ongoing repair of the relationship between the human race and Himself. If you look through the pages of the Scriptures you'll see that there have been both high and low points; moments when we were in blessed communion with Him and moments when we were far off from His presence. And yet, somehow, God broke through to us. But it wasn't easy, and it cost far more than we'll ever know or understand.
"But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:4-6)
This was God's greatest work; sending Jesus into the world to redeem us (buy us back) from our sins and restore the broken relationship between Himself and our fallen race. But how does this knowledge, blessed and great as it is, help us to break through to the ones we love and want to reach? While I cannot suppose to offer an answer to satisfy the complexity of that question, I will at least suggest this much: let us be like Jesus.
When Jesus came into the world, He was born as regular people are born, lived as regular people lived, and endured the hardships all people endure. As we attempt to reach out to the "unreachables", we must look to Jesus' example and follow in his footsteps. We must learn to walk with those who choose to walk a different path, not demand that they suddenly redirect their steps and walk alongside us. Likewise, we ought to pray for the humility to set aside our own inhibitions and hesitations and crawl into the (sometimes) uncomfortable places where the "unreachables" live. Do you think it was easy for George to live with Sam? Probably not, but George's love for his son and his deep desire to reconnect with Sam overwhelmed his own preferences and eventually led to relationship they enjoyed before George passed away.
Remember what Jesus said; "Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." (Rev. 3:20). There's no mention of pounding, sledgehammers, or forceful entry; only a simple knock. For as unreachable as a person might be or seem, will you step out and knock on the door of their life? Will you choose to humble yourself, take on Christ, and go after them as Jesus came after us? Will you?
See you tomorrow - E.T.
Hayden Christensen was amazing in that movie... Too bad he wasn't as good with Anakin...
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