Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional Family Drama
Review: An emotional powerhouse. Not for all people, especially those who loathe cliches and sentimental moods throughout a movie. The moral of the movie is just as successful as the emotional drama.
Rating: 
Summary: Everyone gets a second chance!
Review: Life As a House is one of the best movies that I have ever seen! It reminds us that one of the great things about our lives is that we can always start over! There is always that oppertunity to stop and take time out to find the beauty that is our lives!
Rating:
Summary: deserved an oscar
Review: this was great. hayden christenson is going to be famous after episode 2 i just know it. hes an incredible actor. i was surprised very suprised.
Rating:
Summary: A great film
Review: Life as a House is a touching story of a father and son reunited. Kevin Kline gives the preformance of his life in this outstaning and provacative film. If you want to enjoy a good drama about life and love, do yourself a favor and watch this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: I didn't buy this 'House"
Review: This is one of those movies with grandiose aspirations of being a Truly Important Metaphor on The Meaning of Life. That is winds up being a weepy soap opera can be blamed on its "How to Fix Life's Stickiest Problems Quickly and Easily" screenplay. Finely tuned performances by Kevin Kline, Kirsten Scott-Thomas and Hayden Christensen are almost, but not quite, its salvation.On a very bad day, George [Kline] loses his job at an architectural firm and discovers that he has a terminal disease. With just a few months to live, he decides to salvage his relationship with his confused, rebellious teenage son [Christensen]. His plan is to get the boy to live with him while he tears down his ramshackle house and builds a new one. Meanwhile, George's ex-wife [Thomas], who is remarried to a rather cold businessman, gets her chance to renew her acquaintance with our dying hero. The film's screenwriter also wrote the marvelous "As Good as it Gets". Both movies have a great deal of humor. If "Life as a House" had stuck to being a dark comic look at the woes of the American upper-middle class, rather than trying to emulate the profoundness of "American Beauty", it would have a much better built picture.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Film....
Review: I'm telling you Kevin Kline is one of the best actors we have today... And not a lot of people know that... This film even though you basically have it figured out when you hear or read about it is such a good film. Kevin Kline (As Always) gives a spectacular performance, Hayden Christensen Though this was my first time seeing him, he impressed me a lot. And I have High hopes for him in Star Wars. The only thing that urked me a little in this movie (which is why i gave it 4 starrs and not 5), was that there should have been more. In one scene the house isn't built. The next, the house is half built,, you see? It kinda jumps and skips a little too much and they should have spent more time on things like that even hough the movie clocked in at around 2 hrs. So i guess you have to make cuts here and there. But DO NOT miss out on this movie. It is a very emotional and moving picture with a brilliant performance by all cast members involved....
Rating:
Summary: Food for thought
Review: I went to this movie because my wife wanted to see it, fully expecting it to be another "chick flick". I was wrong. This film goes beyond the gender-based touchy-feely stuff to a deeper message. It really makes you stop and examine what's important in your life and realize how easy it is to spend years focusing on unimportant everyday stuff, while letting what's really important (family, goals, ...) slip away. We should all be so lucky to rediscover these things before we die.
Rating:
Summary: A realistic Soap Opera.
Review: Some people say that LIFE AS A HOUSE is like a Soap Opera, and I guess it kind of is. But it is a realistic Soap Opera, and the things that happen in this story could happen to someone in real life--it's not like the things that happen on Soaps like "Passions" or "General Hospital" (even though I enjoy watching Soap Operas, most of them are pretty unrealistic). Kevin Kline stars as a middle-aged divorced man who finds out that his life is about to end. He wants to do all the things he never got a chance to do--like reconnect with his ex-wife and rebellious teenage son, and rebuild the runt-down beach shack he has near his house. LIFE AS A HOUSE is full of rollercoaster emotions. The storyline is well-written, and the performences by the entire cast is absolutely superb and flawless. Kevin Kline is in one of his best performances yet, Hayden Christensen plays Sam, the troubled rebellious teenage son. I have to say that Christensen is absolutely a wonderful young actor. He is very realistic as Sam--dressing in all black, painting his nails, and messing up his golden-blonde hair was just one of the reasons why he earned a Golden Globes nomination (and hopefully an Oscar). But the rest was all talent--he is an incredible actor, and portrayed Sam like no other. For this, I cannot wait to see him in STAR WARS-EPISODE II, ATTACK OF THE CLONES. Kirsten Scott-Thomas is also flawless as the mother of Sam. If you don't like the story, at least you should go to see LIFE AS A HOUSE for the award-winning performances. LIFE AS A HOUSE is one of the best dramas of the year, topping the list with the likes of IN THE BEDROOM. LIFE AS A HOUSE is a must-see movie. So if you have not seen it yet, then what are you waiting for? Better yet--wait until the DVD comes out so you can buy it on DVD instead.
Rating:
Summary: Required Viewing
Review: This movie is one of the Top 5 movies released in 2001. The movie made me laugh hysterically until I was falling out of my seat, it made me think in a way that very few movies do about my own life and priorities, it made me bawl like a baby, and it made me cheer out loud for the good guys and I felt like hissing at the bad guys in this movie. The humor is subtle and isn't slapstick, it works quite well with the movie. This movie is for anyone that just wants to see an extremely well made movie, that will take them on a rollercoaster of emotions.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific ensemble shines in this "House"
Review: "Life as a House," directed by Irwin Winkler, stars Kevin Kline as George, a divorced architect who lives in a decaying eyesore of his own by the shore. His ex-wife, Robin (Kristin Scott Thomas) and their substance-abusing son Sam (Hayden Christensen) live nearby with Robin's current husband and two more children. After losing his job, George sets out to tear down his current home and, together with his estranged son, build a house of which he can be truly proud. I have seen and heard "House" compared to the film "American Beauty." Certainly the two films share many elements: a middle aged man separated from his job and undergoing a personal crisis; a nymphettish teen female character; familial discord; and Scott Bakula in a likeable supporting role. But "House" has a more conventional, soap opera-ish quality, and lacks the surreal inventiveness of "Beauty." Still, "House" is on the whole a moving and entertaining drama. The best thing about "House" is the fine work done by a great ensemble cast. Kline brings a visceral sense of pain and a transcendent grace to his role. Christensen is a revelation: he is truly frightening in his nihilistic "teen from hell" mode, and brings great depth to Sam's character arc. Mary Steenburgen brings a sympathetic lustiness to her performance as George's neighbor, and Jena Malone impressed me as her daughter. The script offers some thoughtful reflections on life, love, pain, and reconciliation. The house building theme is well integrated into the family drama. The film is not without flaws. In particular, there is one unnecessary plot twist which may strike some viewers as homophobic. But all things considered, I recommend "Life As a House" for those seeking a good adult drama with an outstanding ensemble cast.
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