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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
George
Robin
Alyssa
Coleen
Adam
News & Interviews for Life as a House
Critic Reviews for Life as a House
All Critics (105) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (56)
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Uneven but moving story of reconcilliation.
December 25, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
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December 30, 2006 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
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March 10, 2003 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
Gauged strictly by the gag-factor, a more honest title might be Life as a Basement Apartment with Bad Light and a Dank Smell.
March 19, 2002 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review… -
As a drama it's insipid, maudlin junk that'll have you reaching for the sick-bucket rather than the Kleenex.
March 18, 2002 | Rating: 1/4 | Full Review… -
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.
November 27, 2001 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Life as a House
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Apr 02, 2011Not overly moving, but a dramatic tale of contemporary family life all the same.CivilZen H Super Reviewer
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Oct 04, 2010George is having a bad year. Divorced, alone, estranged from his loser son, behind the times, he has no motivation. Then in the same day he gets fired and finds out he has terminal cancer. What a start to a movie! I enjoy this sort of movie - as George is dying, he resolves his issues with his ex-wife and son, Sam. Sam is having a tough time of it as well - needing drugs just to get by and withdrawing from the world. With the help of Alyssa, Sam helps his dad build a house and becomes less self-centred.Red L Super Reviewer
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Sep 05, 2010I am a big fan of Kevin Kline, and I think that this is one of his best movies. Very moving, and very well done. Great for anyone who likes a good drama.Cynthia S Super Reviewer
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Apr 25, 2010A moving story of a man determined to reestablish a connection to his troubled teenage son and his ex-wife and of his determination to leave a legacy before dying. Kevin Kline does some brilliant work here as George a man who finds out he has cancer on the day he gets released from the job he has held for twenty years. Kristen Scott Thomas as the ex, Robin is equally brilliant. Her character, a frustrated mother and an ignored wife, engendered sympathy and her ambivalence over reconnecting to her ex was totally believable. But, without, the performance of Hayden Christiansen as Sam, the troubled teen, this would have been a much less gripping tale. Watching him grow up, and become ready to take his place in the world is what made this special. Jena Malone as the free-spirited girl-next-door, Alyssa, and Mary Steenburgen as Alyssa's mom were excellent in supporting roles as was the rest of the supporting cast. The scenery, on the California coast, was gorgeous. The cinematography breathtaking, and the story had one laughing one minute and weeping the next. A brilliant film that had all the right elements to make it memorable.Mark A Super Reviewer
Life as a House Quotes
George: | "I always thought of myself as a house. I was always what I lived in. It didn't need to be big; it didn't need to be beautiful; it just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be. I built myself a life... I built myself a house." |
George: | I always thought of myself as a house. I was always what I lived in. It didn't need to be big, it didn't need to be beautiful, it just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be. I built myself a life... I built myself a house. |
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