Life as a House

Play trailer

Life as a House

R

Released Oct 26, 2001

2h 4m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

Daniel N

Loved this. Slow burn comedy drama with great writing, great characters and a great story. You can't help but fall in love the characters. A real feel good story that also leaves you with a tear in your eye.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/24

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Irwin Winkler

Director

Kevin Kline

George

Kristin Scott Thomas

Robin

Hayden Christensen

Sam

Jena Malone

Alyssa

Mary Steenburgen

Coleen

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Rocky Marciano

33%

64%

Rocky Marciano

Watchlist

The Shipping News

54%

61%

The Shipping News

Watchlist

Skins

59%

85%

Skins

Watchlist

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

83%

71%

Thirteen Conversations About One Thing

Watchlist

Jesus' Son

79%

83%

Jesus' Son

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Check Out Milla’s New "Evil" Pic

Winkler & Rubin Want to Deliver "A Perfect Divorce"

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now