情系屋檐下 Life as a House review by James Berardinelli

The buzz is that Kevin Kline will likely receive an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of George, the protagonist of Irwin Winkler's Life as a House. If it comes to pass, will this be a deserved nomination? Probably not. Kline's performance is very good, but not great, yet he has two things going for him. In the first place, he is playing a man stricken with terminal cancer, and the Academy frequently gravitates towards those who play dying or crippled individuals. In the second place, Kline is well liked in Hollywood. Nevertheless, his work as George, while affecting and effective, is not one of the top performances of the year. In fact, it's not even the best performance of the film, but more on that later.

For George, things are not going well. Divorced from his ex-wife, Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas), and estranged from his rebellious son, Sam (Hayden Christensen), he lives in a run-down shack overlooking the ocean. Things go from bad to worse when he loses his job, then learns that he has terminal cancer. Knowing that the best he can hope for is another four months to live, he decides to spend his last summer with his son, tearing down the shack and building his dream home. 16-year old Sam, needless to say, is unhappy about exchanging a wild summer of drinking and drugs for several months of working alongside the father he doesn't really like. Once living with George, Sam considers running away, but the pretty girl next-door, Alyssa (Jena Malone), gives him something to stick around for. As the summer wears on and the old house comes down, Robin begins stopping by, and, during the course of these visits, she and George re-connect.

Life as a House derives its strength through its performances. This is a case when the acting refuses to be constrained by the seeming limitations of a mediocre, tear-jerking storyline. In fact, the reason we're tempted to cry (rather than wince) at the predictably manipulative ending is because the cast has successfully brought the characters to life. We care about these people despite the occasional heavy-handedness of Mark Andrus' screenplay, which tries hard to get us to reach for a Kleenex, while, at the same time, bombarding us with obvious symbolism. (The use of a simile in the title is evidence that the film's metaphors are not going to be subtle.)

As George, Kevin Kline is in the limelight for most of the film, and his portrayal is effective. He presents George as a man in search of a catharsis and personal redemption. Knowing that his days are numbered, George wants to make a difference to someone before he leaves this planet. It is important to him that Sam thinks of him as a father, not as a stranger. (It is also worth noting that, unlike many individuals in movies who look better as their terminal diseases progress, George actually looks like he's dying.) Yet, as good as Kline is, he is arguably out-acted by Kristen Scott-Thomas, who brings passion and humanity to her conflicted character. Scott-Thomas makes this role her own, elevating Robin beyond the constraints of the stereotyped "still-loved ex-wife." Hayden Christensen, soon-to-be Anakin Skywalker, does solid work, and up-and-coming Jena Malone (most recently seen in Donnie Darko) is delightful as the surprisingly mature Alyssa.

Although I have not given the script much credit, it does some things right. The relationship between Sam and Alyssa is nicely developed - in fact, I would have liked to have seen more of these two, in large part because Alyssa is such a fascinating character. Some of the scenes between George and Sam and George and Robin strike the right balance - they are neither too low-key nor too melodramatic. And I was fascinated by some of the details surrounding the demolition of the old house and the erection of the new one. (Maybe I should re-watch John Turturro's Mac.)

Unfortunately, in addition to its desire to wring tears from audience members, the script has three obvious failings. When George loses his job, there is an unnecessarily melodramatic scene in which he goes around the office destroying architectural models. Later, a yuppie homeowner is set up as a cartoonish villain - this character belongs in a different movie. Attempts to use him as a form of comic relief do not work. Finally, the last scene tries too hard to extend the catharsis and ends up being laughably absurd. This is a case of filmmakers not recognizing when they're taking things too far.

Overall, however, the elements that are right about Life as a House outweigh what it does wrong. The movie gets us to feel about the characters, their relationships, and their circumstances, and that goes a long way towards allowing us to forgive the screenplays' occasional mis-steps and wrong turns. Like most houses, this one is far from perfect, but it's a pleasant place to visit for a couple of hours.

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