House of D

2004

House of D

Critics Consensus

A sincere but inept coming of age story.

10%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 102

73%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 9,692
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Movie Info

Actor David Duchovny made his debut as a director and screenwriter with this coming-of-age drama, in which a grown man looks back at his adolescence. It's 1973, and Tommy (Anton Yelchin) is a 13-year-old boy living in New York's Greenwich Village with his mother (Téa Leoni), who is still coming to terms with the death of her husband. Tommy's best friend is Pappass (Robin Williams), a mentally challenged man who is in his thirties, but is at the same emotional age as Tommy; Pappass delivers meat for a local butcher, and Tommy helps him out. Tommy has discovered women, and has a crush on Melissa (Zelda Williams), a cute girl in his class, but Pappass isn't much interested in the opposite sex, and can offer little advice on the subject. Tommy's lone confidante on this issue is Lady Bernadette (Erykah Badu), a woman locked up in the nearby Women's House of Detention who offers advice shouted from her window. When Pappass begins to realize that Tommy is falling for Melissa, he's convinced he's losing his best friend, and in a moment of anger he steals a bicycle. Tommy tries to protect Pappas by claiming he was the thief, leading to a series of serious repercussions. Years later, Tommy (now played by Duchovny) is a grown man who leaves his home in Paris, France, to pay a visit to the old neighborhood and come to terms with the life he left behind.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (adult situations/language)
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    David Duchovny
  • Written By:
    David Duchovny
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $371,081
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Lions Gate Films

Cast

Anton Yelchin
as Tommy Warshaw
Téa Leoni
as Katherine Warshaw
David Duchovny
as Tom Warshaw
Robin Williams
as Pappass
Erykah Badu
as Lady Bernadette
Magali Amadei
as Coralie Warshaw
Harold Cartier
as Odell Warshaw
Mark Margolis
as Mr. Pappass
Zelda Williams
as Melissa
Gideon Jacobs
as Gerard
Richard Keith
as Pitcher
James Ockimey
as Another Kid
Jonah Meyerson
as Kid 2
Olga Sosnovska
as Simone
Bernard Sheredy
as Sasha
Orlando Jones
as Superfly
Claire Lautier
as Madam Chatquipet
Alice Drummond
as Mrs. Brevoort
Gideon Jacons
as Gerard
Stephen Spinella
as Ticket Seller
Frank Langella
as Reverend Duncan
Jill Shackner
as Lead Girl in Gym
Lisby Larson
as Mrs. Loggia
Bernie Sheredy
as Sasha
Michael Chapman
as Doorman
Adam LeFevre
as Monty
Leslie Lyles
as Sondra
Willie Garson
as Ticket Agent
Andrée Damant
as French Woman in Window
Etienne Drabier
as French Man in Window
Etienne Draber
as French Man in Window
Chantal Guarrigues
as French Wife in Window
Chantal Garrigues
as French Wife in Window
Mary A. Fortune
as Nurse 1
Lester Cohen
as Irate Trotskyite
Roxy Toporowych
as Miss Johnson
Roksolana Toporowych
as Miss Johnson
Francesca Buccellato
as Mrs. Robinson
Erica Tazel
as Reader
Stacy Lynn Spierer
as Dog Walker
Brad Warnaar
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Critic Reviews for House of D

All Critics (102) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (92)

  • It's a fable that's too fabulous by half.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Full Review…

    Nelson Pressley

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • Because dark secrets always summon flashbacks, the telling of Tom's plunges us back to Greenwich Village, circa 1973. Sideburns sprout, classic rock proliferates and lapels run amok. Then the horror really begins.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review…

    Geoff Pevere

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • The kind of personal film that fails in a way that makes your teeth ache. It's obviously a labor of love on the part of its first-time writer-director, but as a coming-of-age memoir it lacks charm, originality and taste.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Rating: 1/4

    John Hartl

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • A sweet but inept coming-of-age tale.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Rating: 2/5

    Roger Moore

    Orlando Sentinel
    Top Critic

  • Duchovny displays a firm sense of time and place and genuine affection for all his characters, offering up plenty of amusing running gags and, most courageously, unabashed emotion.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Connie Ogle

    Miami Herald
    Top Critic

  • In need of a tighter narrative and, more importantly, a raison d'être.

    Apr 29, 2005 | Rating: 1.5/4

    Jennie Punter

    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (102)

Audience Reviews for House of D

  • Jul 14, 2011
    A awesome film. When I first picked up this film from a pawnshop I put it on my watch someday stack. Well a few weeks ago it came to the top of the pile and I still put watching this movie off. Boy am I sorry. David Duchovny score big on his first attempt to write a movie. The story really hit home. Pretty much David who plays Tom Warshaw, tells his story of when he turned 13. Nothing can be said about the cast that would do it justice. Anton Yelchin who played Tommy did a stellar performance. Erykah Badu who played Lady was a true life character. And of course Robin Williams fits the role of a mentally handicap person not a hard role for him to play. What amazed me was The Title House of D, and The Writer David Duchovny having the initials DD. 5 stars no less.
    Bruce B Super Reviewer
  • Feb 15, 2008
    Very heartfelt, realistic movie. I just fell in love with the character of the little boy. All the characters were memorable. I just don't really see the main point that ties the whole thing together though. I think maybe I'm missing something. If a movie can make you laugh out loud and get choked up, it deserves at least three stars. Bravo!
    Dannielle A Super Reviewer
  • Jan 11, 2008
    There were a lot of parallels in this movie with my personal life. Like the main character, I also turned 13 in 1973. My father died of cancer that year so I identified with the turmoil of the time.
    Ida K Super Reviewer
  • Jul 27, 2007
    I really appreciate Duchovny for having spearheaded this family project, directing and acting as the adult male lead. There isn't any violence, action, or perverse scenes since this is a 13-year-old's coming-of-age story. Williams, Leoni, Badu, and Duchovny all provide heartworming performances that make the plot very interesting to follow - start to finish. It's very saddening to see so many hardships amount in the young boy's life, yet the film concludes with everything in its right place. I even noticed the film was filmed in my own beautiful homecity, Toronto (appears as New York).
    Kevin M Super Reviewer
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