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Life as a House

R Released Oct 26, 2001 2h 4m Drama List
47% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
"Life as a House" is the poignant, often humorous journey of one man who decides to tear down his house -- and winds up rebuilding the world around him. From the day he picks up his sledgehammer, George Monroe embarks on a grand adventure that will shatter expectations and build a foundation for many different dreams among his family and neighbors.
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Life as a House

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Critics Consensus

A manipulative tearjerker, Life as a House benefits from fine performances from the cast.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media Uneven but moving story of reconcilliation. Rated: 3/5 Dec 25, 2010 Full Review Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Marrit Ingman Austin Chronicle Rated: 2/5 Mar 10, 2003 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This father-son melodrama is well acted, but it's too solemn and too concerned with being inspirational Rated: C+ Jun 2, 2011 Full Review Betsy Bozdech DVDJournal.com When it's not veering into cheesiness, this well-acted tale of redemption has some affecting scenes and moments of genuine drama. Rated: 2.5/4 Nov 9, 2006 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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b b There is of course better written movies, but there is something special about this one that resonate deep withing me. Not sure what makes this movies so special to me, but it's one of those movies I can't stay away for long before I feel the need to watch it again. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/05/24 Full Review finnley d Came for emo Hayden Christensen, left emotional. Great watch but have some tissues close by. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/12/23 Full Review Audience Member I first saw this on a transatlantic plane and fell in love with it. It's one of my top-10 movies of all time. The rebuilding-the-house metaphor for the rebuilding the relationship really works, and the varied pace of the movie adds a lot to the tension between father and son. There's a lot of subtlety in the interaction between George and Sam, with poignant and humorous moments - often seconds apart. The beautiful cinemaphotography is a perfect match for the gorgeous music of Mark Isham, which really brings it to its climax. It's intimate, it's beautiful and it's thought-provoking. I love it - and I thins it's time I watched it again. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Probably my all time favorite movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie was so beautiful! I even cried at the end! The acting from Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Hayden Christensen was great. I don't think the movie was melodramatic at all; it was a tearjerker. I loved it and definitely recommend it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review jordan m Sometimes it seems like critics learn ahead of time what a movie will be about and then poop on it solely because they knew what it would be about going into it. A movie with a plot about a kid witnessing a murder is seen as extremely predictable when that's exactly what happens, while this movie about a dad with terminal cancer is pejoratively called a "manipulative tearjerker" when it was never supposed to be anything else. Did it set a clearly defined goal and accomplish it? Yes it did. Did it reach that destination in an entertaining way, with good acting and subplots? Absolutely. Did the screenwriter accomplish the telling of the plot without embarrassingly bad dialogue? He did. Was the movie completely flawless? Of course not - there was no reason to paint the teen's entire identity as a problem that needed solved... he needed the lesson about hard work & responsibility, not a piercing removal and all that. The soundtrack could also have been better and I dislike plot conveniences like how the stepdad just happened to be a mostly-absent butthole; it would be more realistic and complex had he been a good guy who didn't deserve to be left, and it would've helped justify the lengthy running time. Still, an enjoyable viewing experience. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Life as a House

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Cast & Crew

Rocky Marciano 33% 64% Rocky Marciano The Shipping News 54% 61% The Shipping News Skins 59% 85% Skins Thirteen Conversations About One Thing 83% 71% Thirteen Conversations About One Thing Jesus' Son 79% 83% Jesus' Son Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis "Life as a House" is the poignant, often humorous journey of one man who decides to tear down his house -- and winds up rebuilding the world around him. From the day he picks up his sledgehammer, George Monroe embarks on a grand adventure that will shatter expectations and build a foundation for many different dreams among his family and neighbors.
Director
Irwin Winkler
Producer
Rob Cowan, Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter
Mark Andrus
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
Winkler Films
Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 25, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$15.6M
Runtime
2h 4m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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