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Life as a House

EMAILPRINTNew Line Cinema

Life as a House reviews
45
8.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 32 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 20 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Mark Andrus

Directed by: Irwin Winkler

Release Date:
Theatrical: October 26, 2001
DVD: March 26, 2002

Running Time: 124 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for language, sexuality and drug use

Starring Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen, Jamey Sheridan, and Scott Bakula

The poignant, often humorous journey of one man who decides to tear down his house -- and winds up rebuilding the world around him. (New Line Cinema)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88

USA Today Mike Clark

Kline is one of the rare major actors not afraid to look like hell. And given his character's plight, his willingness to get physically unpleasant matches the emotion he brings to the part.

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75

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

This movie lets you feel something. Like George's house, if not his life, it's built well and full of heart.

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70

The New Yorker David Denby

Just when this sunshiny and affectionate comedy is beginning to bloom, the inevitable, tear-jerking conclusion closes off the fun like a Venetian blind blocking the light. (29 Oct 2001, p.93)

70

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Works as a heart-warming, involving experience.

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63

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Makes for a compelling comedy-drama about family ties. It's only when the cancer takes center stage that the movie feels like a wash.

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63

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

Because it is slick and classy and good to look at, and the actors are well within their range of competence, you can enjoy the movie on a made-for-TV level, but you wish it had been smarter and tougher.

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63

New York Post Lou Lumenick

An overwrought, ramshackle weepie that really doesn't deserve Kline's Oscar-caliber work.

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63

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Elevated beyond its cutesy contrivances and mawkishness by some extraordinarily good performances.

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60

Washington Post Desson Thomson

It's a pleasant movie, written with care for the characters. But as the film's title suggests, scriptwriter Mark Andrus has made too obvious and clunky a metaphor of George's house.

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60

Film Threat Michael Dequina

With nothing in the way of inspiration coming on either the writing or directing end, it's up to the actors to maintain audience interest and emotional engagement, and two members of the cast rise to the occasion: Kline and Christensen.

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58

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

The real bottom line here is that the character just doesn't make much sense.

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58

Portland Oregonian Barry Johnson

Fortunately, Winkler has a good cast.

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50

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Built with fine materials and boasts a gorgeous ocean view. Unfortunately the family dramedy's design is overblown and the construction is pretty flimsy.

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50

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Mark Andrus's script is built on soggy sandstone, and Irwin Winkler's bulldozer direction keeps unearthing toxic epiphanies. That's not to say the movie isn't occasionally moving, as well as exasperating.

50

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Kline, in particular, has the spark and know-how to overcome some awfully belabored writing and situations.

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50

Variety Robert Koehler

A family melodrama that becomes less authentic as it progressively takes itself more seriously.

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50

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

There's nothing particularly wrong with this movie, except that it's too nice for words.

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50

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

I heard a moviegoer calls this drama "a feel-good `American Beauty,'" which is like saying "a hot bowl of gazpacho" -- the point has completely been missed.

50

TV Guide Ken Fox

The phrase "Everything happens for a reason" is heard more than once, a risibly simplistic cliché that not only stands as this film's hackneyed theme but also as a surprisingly honest confession as to just how calculated the entire film is.

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50

Boston Globe Jay Carr

This one is nearly as bad as it gets, suggesting that all the wrong people were wielding the sledgehammers here.

40

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Big, schmaltzy melodrama with mini melodramas.

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40

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

There's really nothing more to this by-the-numbers, ailment-of-the-week fodder dressed up with a classy cast.

40

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

This family melodrama is as subtle as a load of bricks and occasionally as painful, but it offers two of the most finely tuned acting performances yet this year.

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40

Time Richard Schickel

Will the movie end in an orgy of sentiment? Why do we bother to ask?

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40

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Forget about cancer -- it's weepy movies like this that are the real scourge.

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40

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Doesn't trust the audience enough to keep from laying on the schmaltz.

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40

New Times (L.A.) Bill Gallo

Like hundreds of doomed movie protagonists before him, the hero of Life as a House doesn't have long to live. By the second reel, you may find yourself wishing his time on the planet was even shorter.

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40

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Christensen is the only jolt of excitement in this turgid soap opera.

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38

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Kline will break your heart, while the rest of the movie will just make you sick.

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33

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

No worse than any disease-of-the-week TV movie, and no more moralistic than any Lifetime drama. But it's no better, either, and it ought to be.

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30

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

So feel-sniffly-good it could make you revisit lunch.

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25

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Life as a House mounts a brutally insensitive attack on its audience's sensitivities.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 20 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Corey S. gave it a9:
Kevin Kline gives an Oscar-worthy performance in this very underrated drama. Yes, at times it is melodramatic, at times it is quirky and uneven, but isn't that often what life is really like?

Mike H gave it a4:
A constructed and formula driven movie that by the overly melodramatic finale becomes so lost in it's own self-indulgence, it looses any relevance and familiarity with almost all family's it attempt to connect to with a series of unrealistic and poorly realised characters. The rebuilding of the house and simaltaneously of the family was a cliched metaphor also.

Belle W. gave it a 10:
One of the best movies ever made. I have yet to see another movie that has been able to touch on so many diverse issues, mostly controversial, and be able to develop several different characters within 2 hours. While the ending was expected it offered a fresh and touching twist.

Casey B. gave it a 10:
Very heart felt movie...wonderful...i reccommend it to absolutely everyone.

Av H. gave it a 10:
This movie rocks!

Lynnette P. gave it a 10:
I thought that it was a real life view of what can happen to kids when families split up.

AG gave it a 3:
It goes through the same rhythms that every movie that deals with somebody dying with cancer goes through. The writing is good as some points and very lame at others. Even some subplots don't need to be out in there (Hayden's friend, Hayden whoring himself.) Kevin Kline did give a good performance despite the cheap writing. It's too bad it's just so cliched. Watch the ER episode that deals with Dr. Green and cancer. That's way better than shlock like this or "Walk To Remember" or "Here On Earth", etc. etc.

Read more user comments >

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